Despite their last victory against the Warriors this past Tuesday night, the Nuggets season seem to be far away from the level they hoped to be, and simply appear as a shadow of the team that propelled them to an NBA championship just two years ago. Team star Nikola Jokic seems to know what the problem is.
After they fell to a 126-122 defeat this weekend against the Clippers, the versatile big man opened up about their struggles so far this campaign. “I think that’s what we do,” he said about his squad committing 14 turnovers against LA. “I think we are passing the ball a lot and there is a lot of times that we turn the ball over.”
Despite his assessment, however, his individual brilliance continues to shine as he posted his eighth triple-double that night with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. The Serbian also hit half of his shots from the field, but didn’t have the same luck from beyond the arc, just dropping 2-of-7 attempts.
It was just another dominant night at the office for Nikola Jokić!
🔥 38 PTS
🔥 10 REB
🔥 6 AST
🔥 5 STL
🔥 Nuggets W pic.twitter.com/u7kxnyXUaG— NBA (@NBA) December 4, 2024
“I think we had this a couple weeks ago, it’s okay when you want to make the right play,” Jokic added to his analysis. “But I think some of them were bad turnovers, bad passes, but when you’re trying to pass a lot, you’re going to make a lot of turnovers.”
After their weekend loss, the press was all over the European giant, as his performance made the history books once again. The 29-year-old tied Magic Johnson for the third-most triple-doubles in NBA history, now only sitting behindOscar Robertson and current teammate Russell Westbrook.
Jokic’s accomplishments don’t stop there, as the also became the only player in league history to average a triple-double while shooting at least 50% from beyond the arc in a single month.
After his first 16 games of the 2024-25 campaign, the reigning league MVP is averaging 30.1 points, 13 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.7 steals over 37.6 minutes per match. His current precision is also stellar, dropping 56.4% of his shots from the field and 52.2% from range.
The Serbian All-Star also displayed a masterful performance this Tuesday against the Warriors, inspiring a comeback win in Denver
Ball Arena witnessed another Jokic masterpiece this Tuesday evening, as the Nuggets did not give up a single point against Golden State in the final 2:32, ending the night on a 10-0 run. The Nuggets stirred up an impressive 119-115 win with a 38-point display from their big man.
The team was down by 11 points in the fourth, until they reacted with defensive intensity and forced four turnovers in the final 5 minutes of the clash. Check out the highlights of this intense matchup in the link below, with Nikola leading the charge once again.
Denver now faces a tough road ahead, as they are set to the almost-unstoppable Cleveland Cavaliers in their next contest. However, coach Michael Malone is convinced his team will be able to bounce back if Jokic and Jamal Murray get to lead the team.
“But you know, Nikola, ten years, and Jamal, nine years,” the tactician said about this co-star leadership. “We’ve been through a lot. There are going to be rough stretches in any season. But you know, those guys. They lead with positivity and patience and not overreacting to the bumps in the road that are sure to come in a season.”
