Nikola Jokic received the Michael Jordan trophy tonight MVP from NBA led by Commissioner Adam Silver. It was the least important thing about the evening, since he prefers collective titles to individual recognition, products in any case from all those around him. Immediately after offering the award to her teammates and the stands, she proceeded to apply her winning recipe to beat the best defense and the best defender in the league American and make it 3-2 in favor of the Denver Nuggets after their resounding 112-97 victory.
Los The Minnesota Timberwolveswho are on a streak of three consecutive defeats for the first time this season, could do nothing against the most aggressive version of the Serbian center, lethal with 40 points, 7 rebounds and 13 assists (15-22 TC) and not a single loss.
“When Nikola is aggressive, the game reaches another level,” commented Michael Malone over MVP’s 16-point third period. It was he who paved the way to victory by commanding a decisive 38-30 run, playing with Rudy Gobert as if this were an ordinary player and not the recently crowned four-time defender of the year.
The Frenchman, desperate, tried everything, but the Joker seemed to get even its most mocking version nailing a long three-pointer all over his face and at the buzzer of possession in the final period.
“I had a good game, so like my friend Mike Miller said, “Just let it fly and enjoy the moment.”, Jokic explained about his inspired evening. His numbers last night, with 40 points, 10 assists and no losses, had only been recorded by one point guard, Chris Paul, in the entire history of the playoffs. Despite the collective euphoria in Denver’s Ball Arena, once again lit thanks to the current champions, the Serbian sent a warning to sailors.
“We continue with our backs against the wall, we can’t give up. You have to want a new victory and go to Minnesota for it,” stated the metronome of the defenders of the crown. The teams that achieved victory in the fifth game after a 2-2 have passed 82% to the next round during the final phase, although the statistics are there to break them.
As Jokic already highlighted during his MVP reception, the merit of the award goes far beyond him. The gala quintet performed to the rhythm of his baton to impose the law of champions with 16 points of Jamal Murray, another 16 of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists from a plethora Aaron Gordon in addition to drying up the enemy star in defense.
Anthony Edwards He had his first earthly game in the entire series, with 14 points, 5 assists and a poor 5 of 12 in field goals. His competitive absence conditioned the efforts of some Wolves who did have the improvement of Karl-Anthony Townsauthor of 23 points, and a noble effort from Gobert, persistent in attack with 18 points without failure (7-7 TC) and 11 rebounds despite dealing with Jokic on the other side.
After a brief break from the Joker at the beginning of the last quarter, his return imposed an 8-0 run for take theirs 18 points away, seven from the conclusion, the maximum local advantage in the match. With a steal and counter from Murray, clinched by a powerful dunk from Jokic, Denver’s lethal connection, the locals ruled and sailed peacefully through the final minutes despite the constant threat of a Timberwolves team that specializes in impossible comebacks this season.
At halftime, the Nuggets led by 50-44and the meeting had until eight lead changes and 12 ties despite the notable difference in the second half. Minnesota returns home and hopes to become strong there to force the seventh game of a beautiful series, pure poetry in basketball format.
“You’ve already seen it, he had a performance worthy of the best player in the world. He’s tried a little bit of everything, and it all worked. We have not had an answer for him, and honestly we have not had one during the last meetings,” he acknowledged. Chris Finch, visitors’ technician. “Everything depends on sixth at home, and that’s where we want to be. “You have to regroup and focus on the task in front of you to force the seventh.”he added.
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2024-05-15 06:10:13
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