Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic made history on the same night the Nuggets clinched a playoff berth for the fourth year in a row. Jokic becomes the first player in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists within a season, per ESPN . The Nuggets recently defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 122-109. Jokic recorded 35 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, and five steals.
“Dude is really great at basketball,” teammate Bones Hyland said.
Shortly after the Grizzlies game many Jokic supporters came out of the woodwork to make Jokic’s case for MVP. The Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone came out after the game and shared his opinion on the matter.
“The MVP isn’t even a competition,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone declared afterward. “There are other great players. I’m not saying they’re not great players. But what Nikola Jokic has done this year — with this team, everything we’ve had to go through — is just incredible.
“He was good last year, and he’s even better this year.”
Denver Nuggets has a One-Man Army
Jokic put up historic numbers despite missing star player Jamal Murray and supporting player Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets still clinched a top-six spot in the Western Conference playoffs, which is extremely impressive given the level of talent Jokic is facing underhanded.
The Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves have played hop-scotch all season long. However, the latest win has completely locked the Timberwolves in the play-in spot. Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins weighed in on how dominant Jokic can be. He admitted that they threw tons of looks and sets at him, yet, he still managed to find a way to be successful. Jenkins says that he believed the Grizzlies are a very talented team; however, Jokic at times can even be better.
“We threw a lot at him,” Jenkins said. “He’s the MVP for a reason. He’s nearly impossible to guard. He’s going to beat you from inside, outside, playmaking. He played at a really high-level tonight.”
What to Expect in the NBA 2020 Playoffs
The Denver Nuggets are set to face off the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, per NBA.com . While the Nuggets have struggled throughout the playoffs since the bubble in 2019. Here, they face an uphill battle against a fully healthy Warriors. Nonethless, they may have a fighting chance simply because of how dominant Jokic can be. The Warrior’s lack of paint presence may work in the Nugget’s favor as the series develops.
“If that’s enough, it’s enough,” he said. “It not, you cannot control that.”
