The 27 points and 15 rebounds that Nikola Jokic recorded on Thursday essentially matched – or exceeded – the averages he posted during the regular season, but it was a forgettable Game 3 for the Nuggets star, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. Denver was outscored by 21 points during Jokic’s 35 minutes of action and he made just 7-of-26 shots from the floor as the team fell behind Minnesota 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
“I’ve never seen him shoot what he shot today,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said. “That’s an outlier type of game.”
The Nuggets will need more from Jokic to get past a tough first-round opponent, especially since the availability of a pair of key role players remains an open question heading into Game 4. Aaron Gordon (calf soreness) sat out Game 3, while Peyton Watson (hamstring strain) has yet to play at all since the postseason began.
As Slater relays, head coach David Adelman told reporters after Thursday’s loss that he and his coaching staff had to prepare two separate game plans for Game 3, since it wasn’t clear until close to tip-off whether or not Gordon would be able to play. Adelman is hoping to get clarity earlier on the status of Gordon and Watson ahead of Saturday’s Game 4.
“I do think out of fairness to the team we do want to know who is going to play that next game,” Adelman said. “It just helps you because guys know the expectation of what’s going to be that night, as opposed to today when we were scrambling a bit.”
We have more from around the Northwest, including a couple items on Denver’s opponent:
- After making headlines by dubbing Denver’s entire team “bad defenders” after Game 2, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels backed up his trash talk with a huge Game 3, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. McDaniels scored 20 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and played smothering defense on Nuggets star Murray. “Jaden is one our intense and most ornery competitors,” head coach Chris Finch said. “I didn’t have any worry that he wasn’t going to come out and try his darnedest to back up whatever was said.”
- In a separate story for The Athletic, Krawczynski explores the role that Timberwolves assistant James White plays in Minnesota and the impact that he has had on McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo, who both credit White with helping them have big seasons. “To have somebody like that in your corner that I can call anytime of the day to pick his brain on life stuff, basketball stuff, whatever or just shoot the s— with him,” DiVincenzo said of White. “That’s the stuff that we need. When things are hard, you have certain people you can lean on, and he’s definitely one of them.”
- When Damian Lillard decided to sign with the Trail Blazers last summer, the sense was that the veteran guard was prioritizing familiarity over the chance to contend, but the Blazers are showing he was right to believe in the roster, writes Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscription required). Exploring whether there’s any chance Lillard could play in the postseason, Oram cites a source who says the 35-year-old is “close” to being cleared following his Achilles recovery but that a potential return wouldn’t happen until a later round or “deep, deep” into the Spurs series. “I wouldn’t rule anything out or get too excited about anything,” a source told Oram.
So much for Valanciunas being a factor for Denver.
And Cam Johnson trade, as expected by those of us who didn’t needlessly hate on MPJ, unlike many who applauded Denver for getting rid of him, was just a money-saving exercise. Denver’s cheap owners traded away an unprotected first in the future to save on MPJ’s big salary and avoid tax. Not to get better as a team. Cam, on his day, is as good a shooter as MPJ. But MPJ is a better rebounder and affects the game more.
As great as Jokic is, his teammates need to make plays too. They need to outplay opponents in episodes, not just do a job and be efficient shooters or whatever. MPJ, with all his deficiencies, is more of a player in the purest sense of that word than Johnson.
Jokic was part of the problem yesterday. 7/26 and -21 with +/-
They missed Aaron Gordon last night. Christian Braun was also no where to be found. It’s not like Wolves shot the ball particularly well from deep, it’s Denver just had a horrible offensive night.
Yea, it’s not like they were being defended, right? It was just HORSE.
Wolves are a good defensive team but don’t act like they have the best defense in the league. Everyone played poorly on Denver’s part.
The Wolves aren’t the best defensive team in the league but Gobert is one of the best defenders of all time and the they seem to have Jokìc’s number a fair amount of the time when it’s the playoffs.
Yeah, Nikola had a rare bad game. And they are a different team with and without Gordon. Gordon is a lovely player all around and I’d like him to be there.
But my message was not about it. Valanciunas and Cam Johnson acquisitions were presented by many as transformational or smth and reasons why Denver were supposed to find another gear and get closer to OKC or whatever. I didn’t understand that at all.
Do people actually watch games? I mean, I’m a Wiz fan and watch them, I don’t blame others if they don’t. I saw Valanciunas last season, he was competent, sure, but I didn’t understand how he was supposed to be a difference maker for Denver, which are a very specific team. I think they benefit most from having role players and bench guys making daring plays. Jokic needs that, he hates being the only one who makes cool stuff happen. Denver don’t need a guy like 2026 Porzingis who does his thing from his spots. They don’t need a guy like Valanciunas who’s a steady presence off the bench. They don’t need Vucevic.
They’d be better off with somebody who could play in the dunker spot, run the floor and catch a lob from Jokic when he’s there. Someone youthful and aggressive, and maybe with a bit of creativity, but maybe that’s asking too much.
It might sound strange, but I thought Kai Jones could find a place in Denver. Even Marvin Bagley. Pre-injury Mo Wagner. Somebody like that.
Braun was definitely there – he was just forced to carry most of the defensive load. Having to guard the opposition lead ball handler while covering up Denver’s massive holes at that end of the court just left him gassed.
Denver’s problems run deeper than a bad offensive night. Murray and Jokic are woeful defenders, and it’s taking a toll on those around them.
The Deal was a bit more complex than that.
They did pay plenty of tax this year, it was more about staying outta Apron 2 for multiple years (this and next)
They also had to balance a Peyton Watson ext early as well
The new CBA hit Denver a lot harder than most teams just based on timing. Its unfortunate but moves had to be made . They’ll have to make another one to comply with the Watson ext this summer as well
Scrolling out we have to wonder IF this was the intention of the new CBA or just collateral damage that occurs when any new system is put into place. Either way I dont think Denver egregiously stepped outta line here, they just had to make lemonade outta lemons
Denver weren’t in the 2nd apron, not even one year since those aprons were introduced.
They paid a moderate amount of tax in 22-23, 23-24 and 24-25, but it was nothing like the Suns.
And now they are under the tax and of course under the first apron.
Also, Watson and his possible salary didn’t enter into their thinking when they were making their summer moves. They didn’t sign him to a rookie extension. He exploded this year, which they obviously didn’t anticipate from the 30th pick.
They were totally cool with him going into his 4th year without an extension.
Im saying it was pre-medicated to stay outta Apron 2
I agree thinking Val was an answer to anything was fools gold but trading Porter Imo was not an egregious move last summer looking forward
Even if it wasnt Watson they have that money accounted for help via exceptions rather than Porter taking all the room
They have another tough summer ahead of them this year and really the Porter saga will kinda tie in to whatever they do or dont do this summer as well
A team like OKC can obv survive Apron 2 but Denver isnt deep enough to not be able to add on with exceptions/ect. Porters salary was just too large to stomach going forward based on the new CBA . I dont think looking at it with a 1 year lens is how Denver looked at it
Well, you are right. They did shed a lot of salary, and it gave them breathing room not only in 25-26, but also looking forward.
But I still think that the move had more to do with their owners not wanting to pay. That was the main reason, not team planning.
What happened was:
“We need to go under the tax. MPJ has to be traded, Johnson makes half. We’re under the tax. And we also get room to make minor signings”.
That was the logic. Money first, basketball second. The new GM was brought in for that.
It wasn’t like this:
“Cam Johnson is who we need to give ourselves the best chance to compete while Nikola is at his peak. Johnson, a backup center and a couple of others. That’s a championship-level team we’ve got right here. And we even managed to get under the tax doing so, and our books look good looking forward.”
Denver management might have tried to serve it like that, but that’s a lie.
I hear that and believe a good portion is probably true as to what you speak
I just don’t think they viewed MPJr as a 40 Million dollar player and the inj risk enhanced those thoughts. They would have probably hoped Cam played better than he did but I think its a false narrative to think MPJr would have provided the break out on Den that he did with Brk this year. Brk was also one of the only cap room teams willing to eat 20+ mill in cap so its not like Denver had many options to parcel value outta Porter while cutting cash to boot
I guess we will really know a lot more this summer if they try and reset the tax (takes 2 years) or not…IF they DO beat the tax next year then yea Id say theres definitely a problem in Denver with money grabbing in the front office especially considering Joker can walk in 14 months if he feels the FO isn’t trying to operate in 5th gear. I think they will be well above the tax next season and would be semi-shocked if they beat it by years end
* My early projections have Denver coming up 1~2 million south of apron 2 next year at years end when the bills due
That would easily put them as a top 5 spender next year and probably top 3
IF your right tho and that isn’t the case then hats off, one hell of a call
They definitely didn’t love MPJ at 40 million. The way the NBA shifted in the last couple of years, he’s clearly not a 40 million/year player. There are almost no bad contracts left, and random players are not getting overpaid like they did not so long ago. In this landscape, MPJ’s contract looked bad.
MPJ didn’t really have a breakout. It’s just him being a senior player in Brooklyn and getting more shots. It’s not like he finally started to fulfil that very high potential he had before the draft.
Nobody should look at MPJ’s season and think: “Oh, Denver missed that one. He was about to get good, and they traded him away”.
But he has been decent for Denver, an organic part of the team, apart from the last playoffs. He had a bad shoulder and played poorly.
I think they could’ve tried to make it work with him. But hey, it’s over now.
I very much liked this piece about them last summer.
link to bangnba.substack.com
Amen to very few bad contracts left
Ive been doing a top 20 bad contracts for about 10 years now and its gets harder and harder each year to fill out
I currently have Zeke Njaji 2/16 left and Jarred Vanderbelt 2/25 left inside the top 20 who would have never even been considered pre covid for a list like this
Gordon hurt again, there is a shocker!
Umm, talking about Jokic’s bad game without talking about who defended him is stupid.
Rudy Rudy Rudy. Now that push jump shot by Rudy isn’t great but he still turned up this years MVP.
The wolves are a very good defensive team. Denver let game 2 slip away from them and the confidence it gave Minn is a real problem.
Jokic needs outlets on offense. Too much one on one play from Den. And wolves got super disruptive on D.
This is a tough series. Probably best one of first rd.
Ayo was an excellent pickup for Minny. I still think Denver will win.