Nikola Jokic can’t help but force a star opponent to gush praise for him. On the same night he was handed his 3rd MVP award, Jokic played with a chip on his shoulder. He commented postgame:
“I just laugh; that’s all I can do,” Edwards said. “I mean, I can’t be mad because he’s good, man. He’s the best player in the game. He was special tonight. I got to give him his props.”
In a matter of days, the narrative has shifted from Anthony Edward’s bid at being modern-day Michael Jordan back to Nikola Jokic being the best in the world. After falling down 0-2, the Denver Nuggets looked rattled and overmatched. But the last 3 games have been the polar opposite. The Minnesota Timberwolves are left with no answers for the 3-time league MVP.
Nikola Jokic Regained His Touch
Nikola Jokic took the Timberwolves to school tonight
Just watch
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@Digits3App ) pic.twitter.com/y7lUOCKwFv
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 15, 2024
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In Games 3 through 5, Jokic — in all victories — averaged 33.0 points, 9.7 assists, and 9.3 rebounds. Those are sinch first ball Hall of Fame numbers. After Minnesota played suffocating interior defense in Games 1 and 2, Jokic toyed in the paint last night: 9 of his 15 baskets were in the restricted area.
Unlike the first 2 games, Jokic came out with a different mindset last night. In the 1st quarter, the MVP scored 12 points and shot 5 free throws. By half-time, Jokic had 19 points, which was just 2 points shy of what Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony-Towns and Rudy Gobert scored combined. For a man as big and strong as Jokic, it’s unfathomable to witness what he is doing. It’s hard to imagine we’ll see a player like him again.
The Joker Evaporates Minnesota’s ‘Elite’ Defense
Losing 3 consecutive games in April and May is never a good sign. In fact, it’s an all-out free-fall.
In 3 straight wins, Denver has won by a combined 50 points and picked apart Minnesota’s No. 1 ranked defense from the regular season.
“It comes down to Game 6 at home and that’s exactly where we want to be,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “A lot of game, a lot of series left, we’ve got to force it into a Game 7, but most importantly, we’ve got to regroup, get guys focusing on what we need to do and they’ve been good at that all season. So, we’ll be ready.”
For Minnesota, their readiness for Game 6 will be determined by their defense. Can the Timberwolves regain their defensive identity? It’s one thing to lose a game against a team with their two-star players inflicting damage. In last night’s Game 5, Nikola Jokic shot as many times as the other four Denver starters made baskets combined. In the first half alone, Jokic nearly outscored the rest of Denver’s starters. (19-20) For Minnesota to have a chance in Game 6, they must limit Jokic and hope he doesn’t get significant contributions from his teammates.
The series resumes in Minnesota tomorrow night.
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