The 10-piece provides, stats, insights, and quotes from the Nugget’s 82 regular season games. Today’s discusses one of Jokic’s greatest games ever in a 132-123 victory over the Kings.
1. NIKOLA JOKIC IS ONE OF ONE AND HIM AND THE GREATEST NUGGET OF ALL TIME AND ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME AND ALSO REALLY GOOD AT BASKETBALL: 35 points. 22 rebounds, 17 assists. No one’s ever had that stat line in NBA history until Thursday night when Nikola Jokic secured it in 37 minutes against the Kings in a win.
2. FROM WAY DOWNTOWN IN ANOTHER CITY ACROSS THE OCEAN: On top of everything else, Joker hit a near-70-feet (we’re waiting on the official distance) buzzer beater. It was not a heave. It was a one-hand, full rotation, perfectly on line, nothing-but-net shot that looked good from the time it left his hand and was perfectly on line. It was one of the most incredible full-court shots I’ve ever seen.
Jokic said “I took it to make it.”
3. OH BY THE WAY: He had a three-quarter court no-look outlet pass to Christian Braun that if anyone else had done it, we would lose our minds, and it wasn’t even the coolest thing Jokic did tonight.
4. In Other News: Christian Braun had his third straight 20-point performance with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, but CB also had a game-securing steal on a Domantas Sabonis kick-out that he took coast to coast for the take and bake dunk to ice the game. His phenomenal stretch of play continues.
5. Combo Guards: Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray combined for 36 points on 15-of-28 shooting with 11 rebounds and eight assists. Or in other words, a normal Joker game at this point. But they were both really good, making the right reads and finding smart passes.
6. Lapsed: The Nuggets did mess around with this one after leading by 25 points as the Kings made a push in the non-Jokic 4th quarter minutes and carried the momentum to make it a five-point game late. It was very much in doubt down the stretch but they made enough plays, including the Christian Braun steal to get the win.
7. DAINTY: Russell Westbrook played with pink painted fingernails courtesy of his twin girls the night before. He commented “Hey, got the win, so thank you, girls.”
8. Relatable: Westbrook once again asserted his gratitude for the opportunity to play in Denver and with Jokic, and talked about how he and Jokic know what to do without talking about.
9. Room And Board: Michael Porter Jr. struggled from deep (2-of-8) but still finished with 20 points thanks to four offensive rebounds including several putbacks. Good work from Porter on a night where he had some tough stretches defensively.
10. Up Next: The Nuggets begin their road trip against the Timberwolves on Saturday.
