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Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were written off after dropping the first two games of their Western Conference Semifinal series of the NBA playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But in true heart of a champion form, the Nuggets stormed back to take control of the series. But with the Wolves forcing a Game 7, the Nuggets were off to a good start in the deciding game of the series behind Jokic’s stellar play.
By halftime of Game 7, Jokic duplicated a stat line that only he had reached in the last 25 years of the NBA playoffs, as per StatMuse, as the Nuggets held a double digit lead. Jokic had a line of 13 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
The Nuggets won both Game 3 and Game 4 in Minnesota in dominating fashion to even the series up. They would go on to win Game 5 at home to take a 3-2 lead in the series. But the Wolves used an inspired and dominating performance in Game 6 to avoid elimination and force a winner take all Game 7.
In Game 5, Jokic had his best game of the series finished with 40 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists in the win. He shot 15-of-22 from the field, 2-of3 from the three point line and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He had 24 points and 35 points, respectively, in Game 3 and Game 4.
While the Nuggets still held a lead in the third quarter of Game 7 as of publication, they’ll need a similar performance from Jokic to advance to the Western Conference Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks.
Nikola Jokic is cementing his NBA All-Time status
With each passing season, Nikola Jokic continues to stake his claim as the best foreign player ever in the NBA. This season he won his third MVP Award and the Nuggets have a good chance of winning the NBA championship, should they advance and defeat the Wolves in Game 7.
With his entire body of work alongside leading the Nuggets to the first championship in franchise history, Jokic is arguably the greatest player in Nuggets history. This past season, he appeared in 79 games at a little over 34 minutes per game. He averaged 26.4 points per game, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.4 steals with splits of 58.3 percent shooting from the field, 35.9 percent shooting from the three point line and 81.7 percent shooting from the free throw line.
Throughout the playoffs so far, Jokic has been averaging 28.2 points per game, 12.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.5 steals with splits of 55.6 percent shooting from the field, 27.9 percent shooting from the three point line and 90.6 percent shooting from the free throw line.
During last season’s championship run, Jokic averaged 30.0 points per game, 13.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 54.8 percent shooting from the field, 46.1 percent shooting from the three point line and 79.9 percent shooting from the free throw line. He was the Finals MVP as the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games.
This season, Jokic led the Nuggets to the second seed in the Western Conference. They defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
More must-reads:
- Celtics HC shares Kristaps Porzingis update ahead of NBA Finals
- Giannis Antetokounmpo to play for Greece in Olympic qualifier
- The 'Most three-pointers made in the playoffs' quiz
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