Nikola Jokic recorded a double-double in Denver’s loss to New York, but he missed when it mattered most…
Nikola Jokic and Denver – the crisis continues! Another defeat for the Nuggets, after the drama they were defeated in New York in the famous “Madison Square Garden” – 116:110 (36:28, 26:39, 29:24, 25:19). The Serbian center was close to a triple-double performance (24, 10s, 8as), but the victory remained just a dream. This was the fifth defeat in the previous six matches!
Nikola could have brought even greater drama, since he had an open three-pointer with the score 114:110. Fintom fooled the guard, stayed alone and missed. This was followed by a dunk, a time-out and a new miss by Jokić in a shot for three. Big problems for Denver, which still holds first place in the West, but has been struggling a lot lately. They will have to do much better, the playoffs are approaching…
Jokić shot well for two (10/13), but struggled to shoot for three (1/5), two of which were in the last twenty seconds of the match. Another problem was the excessive number of turnovers, as many as six out of the total of 13 that Denver had, so almost half. Neither he nor the team will have much time for rest and analysis, since they are already visiting Brooklyn on Sunday evening (8:30 p.m. Serbian time).
This time, two new players from whom much more was expected were scheduled for Nagesi. Thomas Bryant played only nine minutes (4, 1sk), while Reggie Jackson did not play at all, and the fans hoped that he could be one of the X-factors from the bench. As for the list of scorers in Denver, Jamal Murray scored 25, Aaron Gordon added 14, and Jalen Branson (24) and ARJ Barrett (21) stood out on the other side.
Joker block MPJ threepic.twitter.com/w8GkvVR0uU
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets)March 18, 2023