Nikola Jokic is set to be the NBA’s nice dominator and there’s little the remainder of the league’s stars can do about it. Though the Serbian’s Denver Nuggets won’t be within the ultimate section of the NBA Cup, that didn’t cease the Balkan from excelling to beat a legendary opponent, Stephen Curry, in an important recreation (119-115). The Golden State Warriors, nevertheless, are those who advance within the competitors and can play their quarter-final towards the Houston Rockets.
The duel had a transparent winner in Jokic. The numbers do not lie and the MVP of final season scored 38 factors, 10 rebounds, six assists and 5 steals. It was his third recreation with comparable statistics, one thing that solely James Harden and Larry Chook have achieved (with three as effectively). Curry, for his half, scored 24+7+11, however maybe fell brief in capturing percentages (34% in TC and 4/15 in T3).
Extra importantly, the Warriors misplaced their fifth recreation in a row. A method to contact the bottom after opening the yr thrilling with a Curry in a state of grace from that formidable summer time the place the gold in Paris elevated his legend. Towards Denver, the San Francisco Bay Space staff collapsed and let slip a 109-98 lead with simply over six minutes remaining.
The Nuggets, led by Jokic, got here from behind and a 10-0 run ended up blowing the sport for Golden State, considerably out of kinds in comparison with the Serb and the help he obtained from Porter Jr. (22) or Aaron Gordon (15).
Earlier than we performed with one another and never for one another
As a result of the failures adopted each other. Curry missed from lengthy vary in catch and shoot, Kuminga was blocked by Jokic and Wiggins missed when Gordon stole the ball. Three missed pictures that might have modified the rating. Denver survived and altered the dynamics of the previous couple of video games. “There we had been taking part in with one another and never for one another,” stated Mike Malone, their coach, as a side to vary… and it did.
