Let’s face it: this was not Denver’s A game. The Nuggets were down by a dozen points in the fourth quarter and Jokic didn’t have a bucket from the field despite his rebounding and passing wizardry. Luka Doncic finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and at 9 assists came one shy of completing a glorious triple double. It was going to be his highlight show.
But his missed free throw at the end left Denver needing just a bucket to steal the victory, and they went to the best big man closer in the game: Nikola Jokic.