Ayton outshines Jokic in Game 1, reacts to MVP’s praise: “That’s lit”
Nikola Jokic sounded the alarm before the Nuggets-Suns series.
Among all of the talented centers playing in today’s NBA, few have defended him better than a rising Phoenix star in the post. Jokic told reporters that Deandre Ayton has given him the “most trouble.” Call it prophetic praise.
On Monday night, Ayton outshined the presumptive MVP in Denver’s Game 1 defeat in the desert. Jokic lacked efficiency with 22 points on 23 shots, plus three assists and nine rebounds. In contrast, Ayton dropped 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting with 10 boards. He did not learn until after the game that Jokic considers him among his toughest draws in the league.
“Wow. He said that?” Ayton asked. “That’s lit.”
He responded with equal admiration.
“I love playing against Jokic,” Ayton said. “That’s the MVP of our league. He has so much. Has a lot to cover. The dude can do anything. That’s just the modern center right there. You have to watch out for drives, he can shoot … and play-make for his teammates.”
Suns coach Monty Williams made his rotation strategy simple in Game 1 by keeping Ayton on the floor at all times with Jokic. They played the exact same number of minutes — 36:25 — with Ayton staying out of foul trouble. Phoenix outscored Denver by 13 points over that stretch.
Ayton’s 6-foot-11 length and elite athleticism kept Jokic offbalance for much of the night. He regularly sprinted the floor in transition with hustling off-ball movement that kept the Suns’ offense humming.
“There was one time I took off, I was going full speed, I look to my right and (Ayton) is passing me. I’m running as fast as I can,” Phoenix shooting guard Devin Booker said. “That opens up a lot of opportunities for all of us. He deserves the credit for that. For rolling, forcing somebody to tag, and opening up a lot of open shots.”
The Jokic vs. Ayton matchup will be highly scrutinized for Game 2 on Wednesday as the Nuggets aim to split the series before returning home. Of course, Jokic is tasked with far more team responsibility as the engine that makes Denver run. But Ayton is quickly developing into one of the NBA’s top post players.
Just ask the Joker.
“I think he’s a great person. He always talks to me on the floor. I really appreciate that,” Jokic said. “He’s the best in the league in field-goal percentage. So, he’s not missing a lot of shots. He knows what he needs to do. He’s doing that on a really high level. He’s really a two-way center. … You can see that he’s talking to his team. He wants to be even better. For someone who is young, he has that kind of mentality.”