Nikola Jokic is back to being the scary monster we’ve known in the past three campaigns, as he’s already recorded 18 triple-doubles this current season and produced his third in a row this Sunday evening to beat Golden State. After losing three games before the All-Star Break, the Nuggets are now 3-0 since the restart and the Serbian is loving it.
The Denver star has been crucial on both sides of the floor, as he posted 32 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists against the Warriors last night in a convincing 119-103 win.
“We had three losses before All-Star break now we have three wins. It’s how the game is, a game of runs. In season you have a good period, bad period, you want to have a longer good period than bad and a short bad period,” the big man said postgame. “I think we are just going in the right direction. That is the most important thing.”
Nikola Jokic shot 13 for 24 on the way to his 122nd career regular-season triple-double. https://t.co/1FDG6J82YE
— 9NEWS Sports Denver (@9NEWSSports) February 26, 2024
The last time the defending champions clashed against the Bay Area team was back on January 4, when Jokic surprised all with a long range shot from beyond the arc and beat the Warriors by 3. This Sunday, he dropped 13 of 24 shots and reached his 122nd career triple-double.
His coach Michael Malone believes that sweeping Golden State four times this season is definitely making a statement in the league and he’s thrilled with his team’s commitment ever since they returned from the All-Star Break.
“I felt for the first quarter and a half they were the aggressor, they had us on our heels and we were reacting to everything they did,” the tactician expressed. “For us to close out 14-0 and then to start the third 14-4, I think we kind of flipped the switch and we became the aggressor on both ends and stopped thinking and started playing with an attack mindset and an aggressive mindset, and I think that’s when we’re at our best.”
Denver’s Jamal Murray hit 27 points while Aaron Gordon contributed with 17 as their team defeated the San Francisco club for the seventh-consecutive time, and the 10th win in their last 11 outings.
Coach Steve Kerr believes his team simply wasn’t well “organized offensively” and lost rhythm throughout the match
The Warriors simply weren’t in tune last night, as Klay Thompson erupted with 23 points in the first half, while co-star Stephen Curry missed his first seven attempts from beyond the arc. Their coach Steve Kerr explained why the lost their pace throughout the contest as Golden State wasn’t well “organized offensively.”
“I thought we had two or three offensive possessions where we didn’t get organized and we got stagnant,” shared the Bay Area tactician. “And that hurt our flow. We were in a good rhythm until then and the pace slowed down. So we needed to get better organized offensively. And then they hit some tough shots.”
As for rival star Nikola Jokic, he admitted that his rivals had been playing great basketball lately, and that is why this victory means so much for the defending champions.
“To win here after how good they’re playing lately, it’s a good win for us,” the Serbian acknowledged.