Nikola Jokic Rumors

Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson is expected to return Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers after missing more than six weeks due to a hamstring strain, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday. Watson's return would mark the first time the Nuggets have had their full roster available since early in the season. Several players, including three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun, have all missed extended time this year.

ESPN

“But you’ll never hear an OKC fan complain about my free throws. You’ll never hear a Denver fan complain about Jokić’s free throws. You’ll never hear a Lakers fan complain about Luka’s free throws. It’s just part of the business. But I love it, it creates buzz around the game. It creates rivalries. It creates energy. It’s what makes the NBA so fun. Honestly, the fact that they care so much is great, because they care, they watch it on TV, the TV deals grow, I get more money. It’s how it goes. That’s honestly how I see it. So I love it. It’s amazing. It makes the games more fun.”

Sports Illustrated

Top Data NBA... Live!: 📢🔝💯 📢HOF🏛️ Nikola Jokić (3 points today) has passed Magic Johnson and is now ranked 90th all-time with 17,708.

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Despite the blowout win, the conversation in the postgame press conference quickly shifted toward Friday’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. The contest features a meeting between Rajakovic and his compatriot, three-time season MVP Nikola Jokic. When asked how he plans to neutralize the Serbian superstar, Rajakovic kept the mood light before turning to the realities of his roster depth. “We’re going to surprise Jokic. We’re going to put our point guards to guard him. So, we’re preparing a very special strategy against him,” he joked, drawing laughs from the media. However, his tone shifted to the importance of forward Collin Murray-Boyles, who has been sidelined with a left thumb sprain. “Having CMB would be a huge help to have in that game,” he added.

EuroHoops.net

DNVR Nuggets: Joel Embiid comes up to say hi to Nikola Jokic after the game ??

x.com

Protecting a 118-115 lead, Denver intentionally fouled Austin Reaves with 5.2 seconds left in regulation Saturday night. It was properly executed, a low-risk foul while Austin Reaves’ back was to the basket so that he couldn’t feasibly go into a shooting motion. The Lakers guard stepped to the line for only two free throws — decidedly not enough to tie the game. Or so the Nuggets thought. The one thing that could go wrong did go wrong. “That’s one in 100 in the NBA,” coach David Adelman said after a 127-125 overtime loss. “It happened. You give them credit.” Reaves made the first free throw then intentionally missed the second, launching a bullet off the front of the rim. The ball caromed to the left, beyond the reach of Denver’s two players stationed on the low blocks, and Reaves chased down his own rebound. Collecting the ball in stride, he buried a game-tying baseline runner with 1.9 seconds left to force overtime and eventually steal the season series from Denver. “I mean, it’s a really good play. A perfect bounce,” a frustrated Nikola Jokic told The Denver Post. “He got the ball off his rebound. He made a floater.”

Denver Post

Kendrick Perkins: They got back Gordon, but they still meet missing Watson and they need him back, right? Because they struggle to get stops. It's uncharacteristic that we see from Nikola Jokic late-game execution like he's been pretty damn horrible over the last month and a half and look when it comes to late game now, he got some big time buckets but I'm talking about the turnovers I'm talking about his plus-minus and then on top of that I don't believe that Jokic is in the best shape and he's still putting up these numbers. I believe that Jokic needs to be in better shape because remember when Jokic was at his best, we saw him before that championship run, he was running those stairs in the off season, like we was seeing all the video. He looked more ripped up. He looked shredded and he was playing both sides of the basketball.

YouTube

The Lead: Players to average 20/10/7 for a season before age 25: - Oscar Robertson - Nikola Jokic - Jalen Johnson (so far this szn)

x.com

Charlie Villanueva on Jokic saying he never wants to leave the Nuggets: "Most European superstars don't want to leave their team. These international cats don’t have the same mentality as a US born player where if sh*t don’t go right we want to leave, you know, they want to fix the problems.”

reddit

Thunder wing Luguentz Dort said he apologized to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic after committing a second fourth-quarter flagrant foul on him in the past two weeks. "Just lost in the competition," Dort told ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "But shook his hand, [said] 'great game' and I apologized that that happened."

ESPN

In this instance, Dort swung his left arm around while trying to navigate a Jokic screen on the wing and whacked Jokic in the face. Officials ruled it a flagrant 1 after review, giving Jokic two free throws and Denver possession. "I didn't mean to hit him in the face," Dort said. "But when I go over screens and stuff like that, my arms are just everywhere, and then unfortunately I just hit him in the face. ... I didn't think it was a flagrant 1. Unnecessary means I did [it] on purpose, which I didn't."

ESPN

Jokic gave a quick "no" response when asked postgame whether he felt this Dort foul crossed the line, different from his reaction to Dort's foul on Feb. 27, when he jumped up and confronted Dort in the moment, creating a scrum at center court, and afterward called Dort's trip "unnecessary." "It was over since last time," Jokic said when asked Monday night whether there remained any hard feelings.

ESPN

Nikola Jokic on SGA tying Wilt with 126 consecutive 20-point games: “I don’t know that people know how hard it is to do that. To make 20 pointsin 10 (straight) games, not 120 whatever it is, it’s special. He’s a special player.”

reddit

Brandon Rahbar: Chet Holmgren is OUT tonight vs Denver. 6’9” Jaylin Williams is OKC’s only available big tonight against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Jamal Murray is available to play.

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