Jokic tallied 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists in the Nuggets’ 113-104 overtime win over the Thunder in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. On paper, Jokic’s numbers looked pretty solid. But his actual performance was not at the level fans have grown accustomed to seeing from the three-time NBA MVP.

Jokic coughed up eight of the Nuggets’ 14 turnovers in the contest. He also shot 8/25 from the field, including a ghastly 0/10 mark from beyond the three-point line.

The Nuggets center’s poor play in a win had several fans trying to dispel the narrative that “Jokic has no help.”

Because of his pregame attire for Game 3, many Nuggets supporters were anticipating a spectacular performance from Jokic. However, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Jamal Murray, the Joker’s supporting cast, filled in for the Serbian star. Denver now leads the series 2-1 thanks to the three players’ combined 63 points.

Not even the greatest players in the history of the NBA have led a team to a title with “no help.” Despite some struggles earlier this season, the Nuggets’ championship core around Jokic from two seasons ago remains largely intact. Jokic needed help on Friday, and those same teammates had his back.

Nuggets fans may even see Game 3 as a positive. The team showed that it is capable of beating a formidable Thunder squad without Jokic playing at his best.

Following a series of intense games, Nuggets coach Michael Malone addressed the doubters in a fiery tweet captured by ClutchPoints: “Never underestimate the heart of a champion. They were quick to write us off… This team has been tested time & time again, & we found a way to solve whatever’s been thrown at us.” This message serves as a battle cry for the Nuggets, a reminder of their championship pedigree and unwavering resolve.

"Never underestimate the heart of a champion. They were quick to write us off… This team has been tested time & time again, & we found a way to solve whatever's been thrown at us."

Michael Malone on the sequence of the series so far 🗣️

(via @NBATV)pic.twitter.com/reyDnZ9467

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 13, 2024

Doubts and Adversity: A Familiar Foe for the Nuggets

Michael Malone’s tweet acknowledges the external narrative surrounding the Nuggets. Injuries and setbacks throughout the season have fueled speculation about their ability to contend for the championship. This isn’t new territory for the Nuggets. Over the past few seasons, they’ve faced adversity in the form of key player injuries and unexpected challenges.

Tested and Tenacious: A History of Overcoming Obstacles

Despite the doubters, the Nuggets have a history of overcoming adversity. They’ve navigated past playoff series with key players sidelined, showcasing their resilience and ability to adapt.Michael Malone’s message emphasizes this experience, reminding his team and fans of their ability to “solve whatever’s been thrown at us.”

Championship teams are built on more than just talent. They require unwavering belief, a never-say-die attitude, and the mental fortitude to overcome adversity.Michael Malone’s reference to the “heart of a champion” highlights this intangible element. The Nuggets, despite facing doubters, possess the spirit and determination needed to make a deep playoff run.

The “Write Us Off” Moment

After a crucial victory, Michael Malone faced the media. His eyes blazed with determination. “They were quick to write us off,” he said. “But this team has been tested time and time again.” His voice carried weight—a mix of defiance and pride. He acknowledged the doubters but refused to yield. The Nuggets had silenced critics before, and they would do it again. Malone’s message was clear: underestimate us at your peril.

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Jake Paul shows up during Heat-Nuggets clash

The clip was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by @ClutchPoints.

Jake Paul pulled up to Miami tonight for Heat-Nuggets 🤩

(via @ZachWeinberger) pic.twitter.com/9bLE2ZCEmE

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 13, 2024

The presence of Jake Paul, a social media influencer turned boxer, at the American Airlines Arena is not just a testament to his love for the sport but also speaks to the magnetic appeal of the NBA, which continues to draw personalities from various spheres. His attendance at the game underscores the crossover appeal between the worlds of sports and entertainment.

The Miami Heat-Nuggets game itself was a showcase of talent and competition, with both teams vying for dominance on the court. The Heat, known for their tenacious defense and dynamic offense, faced off against the Nuggets, a team with a reputation for resilience and strategic play. The game was a thrilling encounter for fans and an ideal setting for a celebrity like Jake Paul to enjoy the action up close.

The story swiftly garnered popularity on social media after being posted by @ClutchPoints at first and then being picked up by other sports accounts. Paul’s attendance at the game generated questions and conversations online.

Paul’s appearance at an NBA game was somewhat of an unexpected event, considering he is more often connected to the world of combat sports. His intentions and possible future pursuits have come under suspicion as a result of this.

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13,000 points for Nikola Jokic 👏

The Joker becomes the youngest player in NBA history to record 13K+ points, 6K+ rebounds, and 4K+ assists in their career, previous: LeBron James (29y, 82d)

📺 Nuggets-Jazz | Live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/Y02nZicEUP

— NBA (@NBA) January 11, 2024

Nikola Jokić becomes the leader of an elite list in the NBA

Nikola Jokić is now the leader of the list that proves his efficiency and impact as a player. To put the record of James and Jokic into perspective, James reached the 13000 mark at the age of 24 years and 301 days, breaking the then-record of the legendary Kobe Bryant, who accomplished it at 26 years and 132 days. He was only shy of the 6000 rebound mark and reached the feat in 2014. By this time, James had amassed a staggering 22820 points and 5722 assists.

However, there are several factors to this. Jokic joined the Denver Nuggets in 2015 but wasn’t a starter until 2017. He mostly came off the bench and became the main focus of the team around 2017. Hence, his statistics skyrocketed. But James was the major focus of the Cleveland Cavaliers from an early age, putting up the numbers. His legendary career has known no bounds and so does Jokic’s.

Nikola Jokić led the Nuggets to the NBA Championship last year and has established himself as one of the best centers of all time. His overall NBA career statistics are 20.5 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game, and 6.8 assists per game. He has been steadily improving at a rapid rate and his current season has been great. He averages 25.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.2 assists. He previously played for Serbian club Mega Basket in the Adriatic Basketball Association before being drafted by the Nuggets in 2015 as the 41st pick in the 2nd round. This has led to Nikola Jokić being labeled as the greatest draft steal in the history of NVA.

13K career points for Nikola Jokić.

More to come from him 📈 pic.twitter.com/TExngLQLpp

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 11, 2024

His statistics already testify he is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. However, with the rate at which it keeps improving, he is looking at the very top of the scoring, rebound, and assist charts.

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Dario Saric channels his inner Jokic to assist Klay Thompson

Jokic is well known for his magnificent assists, and when facing the Serbian’s side at home, Saric found the perfect opportunity to mimic Jokic’s trait against him, which resulted in a 2-pointer for the visitors.

With 9 minutes to go in the fourth quarter of the Thursday night clash at the Chase Center, when the Warriors were on a 112-100 lead, Saric made a stellar one drop pass to Klay Thompson on the backcut, strikingly similar to some of the ridiculous passes that Jokic is famous for.

Check out the clip below-

Jokic’s 3-pointer from half court earns Nuggets their victory

While the hosts had Dario Saric making an eye-catching pass that mimicked Jokic, the Serb was the one to have the last laugh. The Nuggets, who were still trailing behind the Warriors even in the remaining five minutes, were able to catch up and levelled at 127-all in the final seconds.

This was when Jokic had his moment of the night. The 28-year-old beat Warriors center Kevon Looney from half court to find the hoop, landing an exhilarating three-pointer and securing the victory for the Nuggets.

Check out the spectacular finish from Jokic below, courtesy of ClutchPoints:

NIKOLA JOKIC CALLED GAME FROM HALF COURT 🚨pic.twitter.com/SprzDefTJ9

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 5, 2024

Warriors have now gone 1-3 in the last four outings, and two of those defeats have been at the hands of the Nuggets. After bouncing back against the Orlando Magic 121-115 at home on Tuesday, Steve Kerr’s side aimed to avenge their losses against the Nuggets at home, and despite being on the lead into the final quarter, they couldn’t hold onto their advantage, and with the final strike from Jokic, the Warriors suffered their 18th loss of the season and are currently placed 11th in the Western Conference.

For their part, the Nuggets are on a two game win streak since losing to Oklahoma City Thunder last week. Their first game of the new year had Michael Malone’s side defeat the Charlotte Hornets 111-93 at home, followed by tonight’s thrilling win over the Warriors to mark their 25th win of the season. They are currently third in the Western Conference.

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Ish Smith gets mobbed by his former teammates after receiving his Nuggets championship ring 🥹💍pic.twitter.com/GFF4W6v4kr

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 2, 2024

Ish played for the Nuggets last year, being a great option for coming off the bench. More than being a regular starter or having prolonged game time, he was a significant presence on the side. He provided motivation and guidance for the players. After the successful campaign with the Nuggets, Ish even considered retirement to join them in a non-playing role. However, the Hornets presented him with a playing opportunity and he joined his hometown team for the second time.

Nuggets love and respect Ish Smith

The presentation was a delightful moment as his former teammates hugged Ish Smith. Nikola Jokić had his moment with Ish as he joked around and played with him, surprising the fans with a rollercoaster of emotions. Every former teammate loves and respects Ish.

Ish Smith finally gets his #Nuggets championship ring, presented to him by DeAndre Jordan.

Couldn't be more clear how much his former Denver teammates love and respect him, and none more than Nikola Jokic.

*feels*#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/aSqqxGvrOc

— Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) January 2, 2024

Nuggets reporter Katy Winger was emotional as she took to social media to express herself “I laughed I cried Ish Smith deserves it all.”

I laughed I cried Ish Smith deserves it all 🥹🥹 pic.twitter.com/qLcQR1KytF

— Katy Winge (@katywinge) January 2, 2024

Ish has played for 13 different franchises and holds the record for that. He is an iconic journeyman and finally, he has had the honor of winning the championship ring. The whole of the NBA community praised Ish Smith for winning the NBA Championship back in June 2023.

The brilliant gesture from the Nuggets emphasizes the fact that Ish and his former team and players are on great terms. Ish Smith has expressed his desire to prepare for a non-playing staff role after he retires and intends to learn from experienced individuals before he makes the transition. It would be no surprise, if we see Ish with the Nuggets in the future, again on the bench, but in a different role.

The game ended in a 111-93 victory for the Nuggets and the Hornets would look to hold their ground against Sacramento Kings to break their 11-game losing streak.

Read more: Nikola Jokić Having Adorable Moment With Daughter Before Nuggets Rout Grizzlies 145-105

Natalija has been with Jokić since their teenage years. The couple tied the knot in October 2020 in their hometown of Sombor, Serbia. They welcomed their daughter, Ognjena Jokić, in September 2021.

Nikola Jokić shares a heartwarming moment with his daughter

In a video clip that surfaced on Twitter/X, Nikola Jokić has a heart-melting moment with his daughter. Ognjena ran towards her father who lifted her up and hugged her. The NBA star kissed her daughter on the cheeks and she returned it with a kiss of her own on her father’s cheeks. It seems this could be his new pregame routine.

You can check out the video clip below:

We should’ve known Jokić wasn’t going to miss when this happened pregame smh new pregame routine loading pic.twitter.com/sbrrfoFBqH

— Katy Winge (@katywinge) December 29, 2023

Nikola Jokić scripts history during Grizzlies game

On Thursday evening, the Denver Nuggets overpowered the Memphis Grizzlies in a 145-105 affair in Colorado. During the game, ‘The Joker’ made NBA history as he went up on the all-time assists list. The two-time MVP has surpassed Eric Snow (4,245) and Kirk Hinrich (4,245), Grant Hill (4,252) for 103rd on the list with 4,254.

Jokić is arguably one of the best passers in the history of NBA and during the game, he racked averages of 26.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 54.1% from the field and 32.1% from the three-point range in 31 games.

The Serb is playing his ninth season in the league (all with the Nuggets) and has come off a season where he led the franchise to the 2023 NBA Championship over the Miami Heat.

The Nuggets are currently the third seed in the Western Conference with a 22-10 record in their first 32 games and they are 8-2 over their last ten games, having a five-game winning streak.

Most recently, the Nuggets beat the Golden State Warriors by a score of 120-114, and Jokić had 26 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. They will host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday evening.

Bucks 132 – 98 Heat

Milwaukee Bucks started the game on a bright note with a couple of three-pointers to catch the Heat completely off guard. The hosts found themselves with a 10 point lead within 4 minutes into the contest.

The Bucks scored an astonishing 10 three-pointers to score 46 points in the first quarter and lead the Heat by 26 points. Bryn Forbes recorded 4 three-pointers off five attempts as the Heat struggled with dismal shooting across all fronts.

The 10 three-pointers scored by the Bucks at the Fiserv Forum tied the NBA Playoff record for most threes in a quarter.

Scoring spree continued into the second quarter as well with the hosts ending up with a 27-point lead at the halfway mark.

Giannis Antetokounmpo top scored with 31 points and Jrue Holiday recorded a fourth successive double-double as the Bucks thumped the Heat across all the four quarters and take a valuable 2-0 lead in the series.

Jimmy Butler had a poor outing with only 10 points to his name and the reigning conference champions have serious work to do as the series moves to Miami for the next two matches.

Nuggets 128 – 109 Trailblazers

Denver Nuggets displayed great energy to get off to a blazing start. The onus was once again on Nikola Jokic, who scored almost half of the Nuggets’ points in the first quarter which ended 31-25.

To match the exploits of the MVP candidate, Damian Lillard stepped up in the second quarter and finished the half with a whopping 32 points. The guard scored 8 three-pointers out of 11 attempts to close down the score margin.

But the Trailblazers slacked in the final minute to trail by 12 points at the halfway mark as the scoreboard read 73-61.

The free flowing scoring nature of the game was subdued for the initial period of the third quarter with both the teams only scoring 3 points each in the first four minutes of the quarter.

Nuggets could only stretch their lead to two more points as the score ahead of the final quarter read 101-87.

The Trailblazers were outscored in the final quarter as well and the final score read a comprehensive win for Denver Nuggets, who level the series as well.

Nikola Jokic top scored for the hosts with 38 points in the 128-109 win. Despite fading away in the second half, Damian Lillard still emerged as the top scorer of the game after recording 42 points.

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Nikola Jokić marries high school sweetheart Natalija Macesic in a private ceremony

Natalija Macesic and Nikola Jokić have been together since high school when both of them were 18 years old. A psychology degree holder from the Metropolitan State University in Minnesota, Macesic has accompanied Jokić to the USA when the player joined the Nuggets and also to London when they played against Indiana Pacers.

It was reported that the couple originally planned to get married in June this year, but the wedding ceremony was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The reception in Sombor was also heavily guarded and with few guests.

A couple of photos from the ceremony were shared on Jokić’s official Instagram, with the following caption: “Joker’s wedding with his high school sweetheart Natalija took place yesterday in Sombor, Serbia 🇷🇸🔥 Congratulations 🎉”

View this post on Instagram

Joker’s wedding with his high school sweatheart Natalija took place yesterday in Sombor, Serbia 🇷🇸🔥 Congratulations 🎉 . . . #jokic #nikolajokic #jokara #MileHighBasketball #nba #nbanews #nbahighlights #denvernuggets #denvercolorado #basketball #kosarka #serbia #srbija #srbija🇷🇸 #jokara #denver #jokić #wedding

A post shared by Nikola Jokic (@nikolajokicofficial) on Oct 25, 2020 at 7:08am PDT

A clip from the ceremony was shared on Twitter, where the newly married couple were seen dancing together.

In questo video c'è tutto:
– eleganza balcanica
– fumo finto come alle feste delle medie
– trionfo di fisarmoniche
– un uomo che si era messo a dieta non per giocare meglio a basket ma per entrare nel vestito del matrimonio

Ieri Nikola Jokic si è sposato❤️

(📽️@skokomarko IG) pic.twitter.com/C0DYbiNmn8

— La Giornata Tipo (@parallelecinico) October 25, 2020

After two years at ABA League sideMega Basket, Jokić was picked by the Nuggets in the 2014 NBA draft and arrived at Denver a year later. He has been part of the NBA All-Star in both 2019 and 2020 and was chosen the Serbian Basketball Player of the Year in 2018.

The 25-year-old Serbian won silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and another silver at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.

Denver Nuggets finished 46–27 in the 2019-20 NBA season and made it to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost against the champions LA Lakers four games to one.

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It was a closely-fought encounter that could have gone either way but LeBron James and co. eventually prevailed.

With one foot already in the NBA Finals, the LA Lakers will be looking to finish the job in Game 5. However, the Denver Nuggets have quite the record when down 1-3.

Murray had helped reduce the Lakers’ once 12-point lead down to a two-possession game, hoping to win Game 4 of the Western Conference finals and even up the series.

View this post on Instagram

The blitz ➡️ The slam

A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Sep 24, 2020 at 6:38pm PDT

The LA Lakers have relied on their big men in this series so far and even handed veteran center Dwight Howard the start in Game 4. The former Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets man repaid coach Vogel’s faith in him with a brilliant double-double.

Anthony Davis scored 34 points, LeBron James had 26, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope putting up 13 points and making some big plays down the stretch. Jamal Murray was simply spectacular for the Nuggets, scoring 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting to go with eight assists, but he was unable to help his team repeat their Game 3 performance.

The up & under or the 360!?

Which unreal Jamal Murray lay-up from this postseason was your favorite? pic.twitter.com/S3VBp7Yzc9

— NBA (@NBA) September 25, 2020

Denver didn’t get its usual performance from Nikola Jokic, who finished with 16 points after missing several minutes of the fourth quarter due to foul trouble.

“I knew it was winning time, and Jamal had it going. I told my teammates that I had him and everyone else can kind of stay at bay and stay home. I was able to get a couple stops and we were able to rebound the basketball, which is the most important thing”, James said.

James, a 17-year veteran, came into the game averaging a career postseason low of 34.4 minutes in these playoffs.

The Lakers outrebounded the Nuggets 43-31, including a 12 to 6 advantage in offensive rebounds. Los Angeles took advantage, scoring 25 second-chance points.

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Coach Vogel breaks down Game 4 and gets the guys looking ahead to the next battle. #LakeShow

A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Sep 24, 2020 at 10:03pm PDT

Dwight Howard finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds (six offensive) in 22 minutes.

The Nuggets are 6-0 facing elimination and are fresh off dispatching the presumptive title favorite Los Angeles Clippers in an extraordinary fashion, after reaching the West semis trailing 3-1 against the Utah Jazz.

Game 5 is Saturday and could be the day the Lakers reach the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade.

Los Angeles Lakers have 16 championships, one behind Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history, but they haven’t won since their most recent title in 2010.

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