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Looking as dominant as ever, Nikola Jokic has resurrected the Nuggets
15 May 2024 Leave a comment
Looking as dominant as ever, Nikola Jokic has resurrected the Nuggets
Jokic accepted his third NBA MVP trophy, then had 40 points and 13 assists in the Nuggets’ series-tilting demolition of the Timberwolves.
Analysis by Ben GolliverStaff writer
May 15, 2024 at 7:02 a.m. EDT
DENVER — As NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed Nikola Jokic his third MVP trophy, the Denver Nuggets center contorted his face into a barely perceptible grin for a photo op he probably would have preferred to skip. Jokic clutched the bronze statue while recognizing the Ball Arena crowd’s thunderous response, then set about manipulating the Minnesota Timberwolves’ front line as if it were another powerless object that could fit in his palms.
Nearly 21 feet of decorated big men were no match for Jokic during Denver’s 112-97 Game 5 win Tuesday in the Western Conference semifinals, a series-tipping victory that gave the Nuggets a 3-2 lead and pushed the Timberwolves to the brink of elimination just eight days after they had gone up 2-0 in the same building. Jokic posted 40 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds and zero turnovers in his best and highest-scoring performance of this postseason, pouring in 16 points during a third-quarter takeover and drilling a dagger three-pointer in Rudy Gobert’s face to send off the Timberwolves with one last indignity.
Gobert, the 7-foot-1 four-time defensive player of the year, had no chance against the Serbian superstar, who bull-rushed through him and tiptoed past him at will. Karl-Anthony Towns, a 7-foot all-star, and Naz Reid, the bruising 6-9 sixth man of the year, encountered similar fates. Minnesota mixed and matched the trio in various configurations to no avail: Jokic was too rugged, too nimble, too intelligent and too intent on reclaiming control of this series.
It’s still not clear what contributed to Jokic’s detached performance in a stunning Game 2 loss that plunged the Nuggets into a short-lived existential crisis, but he has resurrected their title defense with three consecutive statement wins that left the Timberwolves gawking in wonder.
“I just laugh,” Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards said. “That’s all I can do. I can’t be mad. He’s good, man. He’s the MVP. He’s the best player in the NBA. He showed it the last three games. He was special tonight. I have to give him his flowers. I don’t know what we were supposed to do. Yeah, he was that guy tonight.”
Jokic’s unmatched ability to toggle between creating high-percentage looks for himself and his teammates proved to be the difference in a tense contest in which neither team led by more than four points until shortly before halftime.
The Nuggets were plus-21 in his 41 minutes and minus-6 in his seven minutes off the court, and they needed his assertiveness with Jamal Murray (16 points) and Michael Porter Jr. (six points on 2-for-10 shooting) both having relatively quiet nights. Jokic’s handiwork deserved bonus points for degree of difficulty, because he remained the only traditional center in Denver’s rotation battling Minnesota’s front line.
“A loss like Game 2 can do a lot of different things,” Nuggets Coach Michael Malone said. “For us, it struck a nerve and reminded us to get back to doing what we do and how we do it. We’ve played like champions the last three games. That’s a far cry from who we were in Game 1 and 2. We’ll need even more of that to try to end this series.”
Minnesota’s offense couldn’t keep pace in Game 5 without point guard Mike Conley, who was scratched shortly before tip-off with an Achilles’ injury suffered late in Game 4. Without Conley’s outside shooting to provide spacing, Edwards was stuck facing regular double teams and a crowded court. The Timberwolves often fielded five-man lineups that included three non-shooters, a very difficult proposition against a high-level playoff opponent.
Edwards shot just 1 for 8 in the first half before finishing with 18 points on 5-for-15 shooting in his lowest-scoring and least-efficient showing of the series. The all-star guard, who logged 45 minutes in Game 4 and 44 minutes in Game 5, lacked his typical pop and appeared worn down at several key moments. With the Timberwolves needing to mount a comeback after halftime, Edwards didn’t attempt a shot in the first seven minutes of the third quarter and never summoned a response to Jokic.
Minnesota now returns to Target Center, where it dropped Games 3 and 4 in front of an eager crowd that wanted to see the franchise’s first Western Conference finals appearance since 2004. Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch said he was “hopeful” Conley would be available for Thursday’s Game 6; with or without Conley, Finch will need a more explosive showing from Edwards, who has three 40-point games this postseason.
Though Edwards offered deferential praise to Jokic, his self-confidence remained intact despite Minnesota’s first three-game losing streak of the season. After completing his postgame interview in the locker room, Edwards turned to a ballboy and declared: “See you for Game 7.”
To make good on those words, the Timberwolves must conjure more effective answers for Jokic, who Malone said boasts a Mensa-worthy understanding of the game. According to Finch, Minnesota will seek to improve its “early positioning” to prevent Jokic from getting to his favorite spots while also taking better care to defend his off-the-dribble attacks so he can’t build a full head of steam.
Before his backbreaking three over Gobert, the highlight of Jokic’s night was a stroll through the paint for a powerful dunk that saw him cock the ball behind his head with both hands. After keeping a straight face throughout the MVP trophy presentation, Jokic allowed himself a sly smile while recounting his rare aerial feat.
“I had an open lane,” he said. “I’m a freak of nature. Why not show my athleticism?”
The Washington Post
LeBron James and the Lakers are coming apart at the seams
26 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in Uncategorized Tags: basketball, nba, sports
LeBron James and the Lakers are coming apart at the seams
Analysis by Ben GolliverStaff writer
April 26, 2024 at 7:02 a.m. EDT
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LOS ANGELES — Death came for the Los Angeles Lakers by 1,000 off-ball cuts and what seemed like 100 Aaron Gordon dunks during another effortless Denver Nuggets onslaught.
Good basketball teams can turn a 10-point deficit into a 10-point lead within minutes; great ones can do it without breaking a sweat or pausing to celebrate. At full strength, Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Nuggets are great. So great they had Lakers star LeBron James turning his palms to the sky in a futile search for answers Thursday night during the decisive third quarter. So great they had rappers Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne heading for the exits by the middle of the fourth.
After sweeping the Lakers out of last year’s Western Conference finals and sweeping all three meetings during the regular season, the Nuggets claimed a 112-105 Game 3 victory at Crypto.com Arena, setting up the possibility of completing another sweep Saturday in Game 4. With brooms looming like guillotine blades, James and the Lakers looked and sounded like a broken team, not just a beaten one.
In pushing the Lakers to the brink of elimination, the Nuggets carved them open and split them right down the belly. On one side: James and Anthony Davis, the only two remaining members of the 2020 title team and the only two consistent producers in this series. On the other: everyone else in a rotation that has fallen to pieces under the playoff microscope.
“You’re supposed to have anxiety and feel the pressure,” James said when asked whether the Lakers were buckling under the stress of trying to keep up with a favored opponent. “That’s what the postseason is about. I don’t know how to answer that question. I don’t know. You’d have to ask the individuals that question to see how they feel. It’s hard for me to be, like, ‘This is what I think a guy feels.’ I can’t do that. I’m not a mind reader. I don’t know. This is the postseason. Me and [Davis] have been playing together six years. We’ve been to the mountaintop. We’ve been close to the mountaintop. We’ve played a lot of games. We know what it takes to win a championship and how damn near perfect you need to be.”
If the Nuggets prevail, James and the Lakers will have failed to advance out of the first round for the third time in the four years since their most recent championship. The 39-year-old star sounded perplexed at the end of another long night, incapable of understanding why the big-game success that was once commonplace for his teams has been so far out of reach.
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“That’s not something that’s so crazy to obtain,” James muttered. “I’ve been a part of it four times. … It’s just basketball, at the end of the day. It’s just basketball.”
But playoff basketball has become a slog for the vast majority of a Lakers team that was kept together last summer with the goal of building on its 2023 postseason success. Point guard D’Angelo Russell, who struggled in last year’s West finals, missed all seven of his shots Thursday and had to be benched in key moments. Forward Rui Hachimura was invisible on offense and a nonfactor on the boards, where Denver scored a 51-38 advantage. The Lakers’ thin bench registered no signs of life until garbage time, unable to exploit the Nuggets’ lack of depth. Through three quarters, Los Angeles had made just one of its 14 three-point attempts, registering a 7.1 three-point percentage that might have been mistaken for a mortgage interest rate.
James, who had 26 points, nine assists and six rebounds, appeared exasperated by his team’s lack of defensive connectivity during a third quarter in which the Lakers were outscored 34-22. It wasn’t just a matter of Gordon sneaking to the rim for three baskets in one minute shortly after halftime; it was the series-long accumulation of Denver’s chess master tactics.
When Jokic (24 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists) isn’t plowing through Davis and vacuuming up rebounds, Jamal Murray (22 points, nine assists) is dancing through traffic and drilling a game-winner. When Gordon (29 points, 15 rebounds) isn’t living at the rim, Michael Porter Jr. (20 points, 10 rebounds) is swishing fadeaways with a hand in his face.
“This team is well prepared and well coached,” James said of the Nuggets. “They do not have a weakness offensively. … We expend so much energy in the first half building leads with defensive intensity. We come out in the third quarter with not much energy or lose track of the attention to detail we had in the first half. Give credit where credit is due: Those guys make tough shot after tough shot after tough shot.”
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Whenever the Nuggets have turned it up, they have been in too many places at once for the Lakers to handle. The pattern, dating back to last May, is clear as day: The Nuggets take off after halftime, and the Lakers get left in the dust. Through three games, Denver has outscored Los Angeles in the third quarter by a combined 31 points.
“[Denver has] a championship confidence,” Lakers Coach Darvin Ham said. “That starting lineup has been together a long time and has been through some wars together. Their net rating is off the charts. They have playmakers. … They do the little things: crash the offensive glass and screen hard. When you have that type of chemistry, it’s tough. They don’t settle. They impose their will on the game on both sides of the ball.”
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The Nuggets are in firm control of this series for a litany of reasons: Jokic has outplayed Davis; Murray outdueled James in a thrilling Game 2; Denver has capitalized on its excellent home-court advantage; and, yes, the Lakers’ supporting cast has crumbled.
The key difference, though, has been unity. Denver has dug out of deep holes as a team, while Los Angeles has squandered advantages and responded to adversity by splintering into a collection of — to repurpose James’s term — individuals.
“There’s unbelievable confidence,” Nuggets Coach Michael Malone said. “The scary thing for me is I think we can play so much better.”
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