By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic recorded what is popularly called another “Sombor double.” Scoring 40 points with 13 rebounds, he was just a rebound shy of a triple-double, but the Denver Nuggets still fell to the Washington Wizards.
Jordan Poole scored the winning three-pointer in the final moments of the game, handing the Colorado team their 25th loss of the season. They are now tied with the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies in the battle for second place in the Western Conference standings, with all three teams boasting a 43-25 record.
After the game, Jokic admitted that his team is not at the desired level.
“We cannot have that comfort zone that we’re just going into the playoffs, because we’re not playing good. I think we’re lucky that we’re third in the standings. We are not playing good. Hopefully, we’re going to figure it out somehow, or not,” Jokic said.
He believes it’s important that the Nuggets improve in the final stretch of the regular season.
“I think who you are in the regular season is who you are in the playoffs. I think you cannot flip a switch. We actually had 10-15 games where we were kind of playing good, but I think lately, even the games that we won, we didn’t play good. In the playoffs, that’s not acceptable.”
Denver lost to a last-placed team in the Eastern Conference standings, with a 15-51 record, entering the final 14 games of the regular season.
“Because this is what we have done since I came here, probably. We win against the big teams, and we lose against the teams that have a bad record. … I mean, I don’t want to accept it, but I’m not gonna get too high or too low. I’m just gonna try to be as consistent as I can,” Jokic concluded.
Nikola Jokic is in the running for his fourth MVP award, averaging a triple-double per contest with 29.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.3 assists.