By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
When Nikola Jokic was selected with the 41st overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft, few expected him to become the franchise player of the Denver Nuggets. Two MVP nods later, the elusive first seed of the Western Conference is right there and attached to the attractive prospect of a long run in the Playoffs.
Jokic, 27, was named season MVP in the last two seasons but behind third-place and sixth-place finishes in the Regular Season. The Nuggets also ranked third in 2019-20 and second in 2018-19 after missing the Playoffs from 2014 to 2018. The upward trend continues and heading to the All-Star break with a 41-18 record and a five-game lead over second-placed Memphis Grizzlies, the top spot is within their grasp, theirs to lose.
“We are in the place we want to be. We are playing a good brand of basketball. Winning games,” mentioned Serbian Jokic after posting his 21st triple-double of the 2022-23 season Wednesday, “I think we are going in the right direction”
The Joker ended up with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and ten assists against the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic in the latest collision of European superstars, both set to participate in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks seeking Playoffs berth
On the opposite end of Wednesday’s contest in Ball Arena, the Slovenian sensation recorded a game-high 37 points. “I just tried to read the defense,” said Doncic commenting on taking on the Nuggets without Kyrie Irving (lower back tightness), “Sometimes they were doubling, sometimes they were just protecting the paint.”
Tim Hardaway Jr. (right hamstring tightness) was also sidelined along with European reserves Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) and Davis Bertans (left calf strain).
Wrapping up the pre-All-Star Game part of the 2022-23 schedule with three losses in a row, the Mavericks fell to 31-29. Currently tied for sixth, they are only 2.5 games away from third place in the standings but at the same time merely two games safe in the Play-In zone.
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