As last season's MVP, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has been recognized as one of the best players in basketball. Over the years, he led the Nuggets to a respectable position in the West. This season, despite Jokic's amazing performances, the Nuggets have struggled. Currently, they are 6th in the West with a record of 22 wins and 20 losses.
In today's NBA regular season, the Nuggets lost 102-125 to the Jazz. Jokic's personal performance remained outstanding, playing 36 minutes and 44 seconds, shooting 10-of-18, 2-of-5 from three-point range, and a triple-double of 25 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists, in addition to two steals. It was also Jokic's 66th career triple-double, and he also surpassed basketball star Harden to enjoy the 7th place in the all-time triple-double list.
The Nuggets beat the Lakers by 37 points yesterday and lost to the Jazz by 23 points today. Jokic is clearly not satisfied with the team's performance. In a post-match interview, Jokic said: "The whole league knows we can't hit a shot. ”
Head coach Malone also mentioned this after the game. He said: "We couldn't hit the shot tonight. The team made 32 assists and made just 11-of-43 three-pointers. If we can hit more shots, those numbers could be higher. ”
In fact, the Nuggets have been very hot on the offensive end recently. In the game against the Lakers, the Nuggets shot 23 of 40 from beyond the three-point line and scored a high score of 133 points. Against the Trail Blazers, the Nuggets shot 21-of-42 from beyond the three-point line and scored a high score of 140 points.
Of course, Jokic's exclamation was not an innocent groan. Despite their recent good shooting, the Nuggets are averaging 23rd in the league (just 107.1) and only 15th in offensive efficiency this season. Facing the Blazers and Lakers shooting 20+ three-pointers, it can only be blamed that the defense of these two teams is too poor.
In the absence of Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray, it is indeed not easy for Jokic to lead the team alone. In particular, there are strong teams in the West such as the Warriors, Suns, Grizzlies and Jazz. If the Nuggets want to retain a playoff spot, the next game will continue to work hard. The good news is that Jokic can also lead the team to win the game when they face a team with a lower winning percentage than themselves, such as a 37-point victory over the Lakers.