Inside Jokic’s 47-point masterpiece against the Jazz
After six years together, Nikola Jokic and Nuggets coach Michael Malone are almost always on the same wavelength.
So it should come as no surprise that both superstar and head coach were apparently oblivious to the 50-point landmark that awaited Jokic had he connected on just one more 3-pointer in Sunday’s 128-117 win over the Jazz.
Having already carved up Utah’s vaunted defense, which ranked second in the NBA during their 11-game winning streak, Jokic needed to be told by Jamal Murray that he was approaching a half-Wilt.
Jokic, always nonchalant, said Murray was “kind of into it,” which explains why Murray threw the ball toward Malone’s knees when he called a late timeout that would preclude any more scoring.
Only minutes before his exit, Will Barton tried to goad Jokic into hunting for one more 3-pointer.
“You know him,” Barton said. “He doesn’t care about that kind of stuff.”
All he cares about is winning. Not accolades. Not the spotlight. Not any arbitrary scoring numbers. In fact, Jokic actively avoids anything that might draw any unwanted attention.
“I never talk trash to anybody, I’m just playing the game,” he said after Denver improved its record to 12-8 with Monday’s game vs. Detroit on deck. “I’m really into the bad karma. You know, karma’s gonna get you back if you’re cocky or whatever.”
Jokic exited with 47 points on 17-of-26 from the field, 12 rebounds, five assists and one signature win over the streaking Jazz.
Frankly, the Jazz almost baited him into tying his career high with 47 points. Not that Jokic did anything other than he normally does.
After player introductions, as the rest of his teammates ran through elaborate handshakes, Jokic did his normal routine. It entailed, as it does every game, a casual handshake with every one of the team’s bench players, the same boring introduction one would make upon meeting someone for the first time. It only gets mildly exciting when he flexes for strength and conditioning coach Felipe Eichenberger.
And yet, 12 minutes into the game, it was obvious Jokic was on the warpath.
The Jazz, inexplicably, opened the game with Bojan Bogdanovic on him. That mismatch didn’t work. Next, he pulled a spin move on Royce O’Neale, leaving the undersized wing helpless near the baseline. Then they tried Derrick Favors, whose strength should’ve, theoretically, deterred Jokic inside.
“Guy really has no flaws on offense,” Barton said. “He has no weaknesses.”
Jokic buried three first-quarter 3-pointers before the Jazz decided that experiment was a failure. Finally, Utah gave center Rudy Gobert the assignment, which didn’t work, either. Jokic’s reverse layup capped a career-high 22point quarter that left teammates on the bench in awe. Some had their hands on their head. Others mimicked his finishing move.
“If you’re going to play him straight up, he’s gonna score,” Malone said. “If you’re gonna be down the floor (on screens), he’s gonna shoot the three. If you’re gonna start double-teaming, he’s going to find the open man and make you pay.”
Jokic had 33 points at halftime, a substantial part of Denver’s 25point lead. And yet, as the Nuggets have done numerous times this season, they let the Jazz back into it. The lead was trimmed to single digits before Jokic again wrested control of the game.
“A lot of games down in the stretch, I’m always yelling off the bench to ‘Feed Jok,’ ” said reserve JaMychal Green. “Any time we get in a scoring drought or anything, ‘Just give the ball to Jok.’ He’s gonna make something good happen.”
Of course he is. It was only late in the fourth quarter, the game already in hand, that Utah decided to vary up their defensive scheme on him. When they sent a doubleteam, Jokic flipped a pass to a streaking Facu Campazzo, who finished in the lane. So much for a chance at 50.
Both Barton and Green confirmed they’d never seen a player of Jokic’s caliber who was so indifferent to statistical feats.
“Not really,” Green said. “You don’t really come across players like him that’s so unselfish but at the same time can just do whatever on the floor.”