Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic fell just short of becoming only the fourth player in NBA history to win the MVP award three consecutive years. Had Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers not beaten him out for the award this season, he would have joined Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird as the only players to achieve that feat.
In Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Phoenix Suns, Jokic reminded everyone why he had a strong case for winning the MVP a third straight year. He was a one-man wrecking crew against the Suns, helping lead the Nuggets to a 2-0 series lead.
Jokic scored a game-high 39 points with 16 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in 41 minutes. Suns’ center Deandre Ayton was no match for him as Jokic got whatever he wanted on the offensive side of the ball.
“I love an aggressive Nikola Jokic,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Jokic.
“Nikola’s an MVP for a reason,” Malone said. “He can take over a game. He can beat you in a lot of ways. … I love a guy who’s getting to the basket, imposing his will upon the other team. And that fourth quarter, man, 14 points for that team, 28% from the field, 0-for-9 from 3?”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets & Phoenix Suns Updates
Game 2 was a low-scoring, competitive affair until the fourth quarter that Malone referenced. Denver won that quarter 27-14, putting away the Suns to protect home court in the series. While the Nuggets do deserve some credit for how they performed defensively, the loss of Chris Paul certainly threw the Suns for a loop.
“He just looked like he was boxing out,” Williams said. “He just came up where he couldn’t push off of it or anything. So we’re not quite sure what it is right now, but it seems to be something in the groin area. So we’ll find out more tomorrow.”
Paul left the game in the third quarter with what was being called tightness in his groin and was unable to get back on the court. He has already been ruled for Game 3, which will put a spotlight on Cameron Payne to step into the lineup in his place and help fill the void.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets & Phoenix Suns Updates
The absence of Paul will also put some more pressure on Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. While Booker remains efficient, Durant had an uncharacteristic shooting night in Game 2, going 10-of-27 from the field and 2-of-12 on 3-point attempts.
If the Suns are going to get back into this series, those numbers have to improve. The Nuggets have gotten monster performances from each of their starts, as Jamal Murray went off in Game 1 before Jokic’s masterpiece in Game 2.
“Slowed down Murray a bit,” Durant said. “He obviously got it going in the first game. But Jokic was doing a little bit too much. I think we held them to 97 points total. Usually, that’s a win for us.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets & Phoenix Suns Updates
Phoenix certainly has their work cut out for them down 0-2, but getting to play back at home usually provides a spark to a team. Game 3 on Friday night is do-or-die time for the Suns, who cannot afford to fall down 0-3 to the Nuggets if they want any hope of advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
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