By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After a winning effort to close out the 2024 NBA Christmas Games, helping the Phoenix Suns overpower the Denver Nuggets in Footprint Center, Kevin Durant praised Nikola Jokic.
In a postgame interview with ESPN, he replied to a question about himself alongside LeBron James and Stephen Curry highlighting the NBA Christmas schedule.
“You see Jokic tonight. You see a Hall of Famer, an icon in Russell [Westbrook] tonight. You see great young players around the league tonight,” he pointed to opponents on the Nuggets squad and further added to the initial list, “It was an amazing day for basketball, I’m grateful I was able to play on this great day.”
“They are a physical team. They got arguably the best player in the world, top 10 player of all time in Jokic,” the 36-year-old combo forward described the main challenges in taking down the Nuggets on Wednesday evening.
Constant collisions with the Joker have extended from the league based in North America to famous clashes between the United States and Serbia at the international level over recent years, including the 2024 Olympic Games.
On his latest Christmas appearance, Durant shared a game-high 27 points with teammate Bradley Beal. On the wrong end, Jokic posted a 25-point, 15-rebound double-double.
After improving to 15-14 in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season and forcing the Nuggets to 16-12, the Suns host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, shortly following an injury setback for Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic.
Photo Credit: FIBA