It may sound exaggerated, but the reality is that playing against Nikola Jokic has become an exercise in survival. Whether he has one teammate or another at his side, the Serbian center is always unstoppable at the level of the best player in the world, and if to date he amazed everyone and everyone, now he is simply playing a basketball unknown to the eye. human.
With a triple-double of 36 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds, he could not prevent Denver from falling in Sacramento 123-117, but he did sign another chapter to a legacy that is already golden. By closing the night without a loss, he has become the first player in the last 40 years of the NBA with at least two 30-point triple-doubles. The most incredible thing is not what he achieves – he has plenty of talent for it – but that he has done it in a period of four days…
And there is more. When a quarter of the regular season, Jokic leads the NBA in points, rebounds and total assists: 579 points, 10 more than Giannis. 255 rebounds, 6 more than Anthony Davis. 196 assists, 4 more than Trae Young. Yes, this is the atrocity that the Kings overcame to claim victory. The satisfaction of Californians is not surprising.
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«You are never going to stop Jokic with just one guy. Many times, even with all the equipment, you probably won’t stop him. You just want to make sure the others don’t get triggered. When they do, all you have to do is choose the poison,” says De’Aaron Fox.
The truth is that the Kings point guard was key to the victory with a spectacular double-double of 26 points and 16 assists. His coach, Mike Brown, made it very clear at a press conference: “It was a fantastic night from our best player when we needed him most. He has to take a step forward in games like this so we can win,” he says.
Beyond the result itself, for Sacramento it was a very important moral step. After breaking a 16-year streak last year without entering the playoffs, they now need to confirm that that was not a mirage. Defeating the current champion and placing themselves with a balance of 11-7 is proof of this.
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
2023-12-03 10:00:00
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