In the lead-up to Game 2 of the first-round series between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers, Darvin Ham was asked how Nikola Jokic had improved as a player over the years. While discussing Jokic’s strengths, Ham hilariously admitted he doesn’t know how to stop him.
“He’s become extremely efficient, like when he’s manning their offense, he knows how to kill you in a variety of different ways,” Ham said. “Just gotta put constant pressure on him and that doesn’t seem to bother him either. Taller than everybody. Wingspan, skillset. It’s like s**t, I don’t know what to do.
“You just got to go out there and try to be as disciplined as possible, aggressive and consistent, and have a next-play mentality, man,” Ham continued. “You can’t get disappointed, you can’t get discouraged. Kid’s a generational type player and so you just got to keep swinging, keep bobbing, weaving, and swinging.”
Darvin Ham: on defending Nikola Jokic: “It’s like shit, I don’t know what to do.”pic.twitter.com/Sy3mscfygd
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) April 23, 2024
To be fair to Ham, no coach in the NBA has found a way to slow down Jokic. The 29-year-old just finished averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in the regular season. Jokic is the favorite to win MVP and if he does get the award, it would be the third time he would have won it in four seasons.
Jokic also dominated in the playoffs last year and it has been more of the same in 2024. In the first game of this series, he had 32 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and two steals to lead the Nuggets to a 114-103 win. Afterward, Ham said the Lakers didn’t want to use all their adjustments for Jokic in Game 1.
LA had Anthony Davis guard Jokic a fair bit more in Game 2 and the results were decent for the first three quarters. Davis had also relentlessly attacked him on defense and was comfortably winning that matchup as we headed into the fourth quarter.
In the final period, though, Jokic flipped the script. He made a couple of huge baskets down the stretch when guarded by Davis, including an and-one which cut the Lakers’ lead down to 93-92. Jamal Murray then took over and hit the game-winner at the buzzer to clinch a 101-99 win.
Despite the Lakers switching things up a bit, Jokic still finished with 27 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals. He didn’t play as well as he did in Game 1, but it was a fine showing nonetheless.
Is This Series Already Over?
This win for the Nuggets meant they had beaten the Lakers the last 10 times the two sides had met. In those games, Jokic has averaged 27.2 points, 13.7 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. He has also shot 55.3% from the field and 43.9% from beyond the arc.
The Lakers just have not been able to find an answer for him and the Nuggets, and I don’t see things changing moving forward. I know that all Denver has accomplished so far is hold serve by winning the two home games, but this series already seems over.
The Lakers are just not going to beat them four out of five times after suffering 10 losses in a row. They even led by 20 points in Game 2 but couldn’t get over the line. I think LA manages to win one of the next two games at home but then gets eliminated in Game 5 in Denver.
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