Nikola Jokic terrorized the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 with 34 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists, and 2 blocks, but he could have done even more damage. Jokic was balling in the first three quarters with 31 points on 12-15 shooting from the field and Darvin Ham had to find a way to slow down the Serbian superstar.
What he came up with was to have Rui Hachimura guard him and it worked, as Jokic only had 3 points in the fourth quarter on 0-2 shooting. After the game, Hachimura spoke about how he defended the big man.
“I was just trying to get into his knees,” Hachimura said. “It was part of our game plan and we talked about it before the game. The coaches told me that I’m gonna guard Jokic too and I think it was a good plan. I think the second half we did a pretty good job on him.”
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We’ll find out in Game 2 whether this is really something that is going to limit Jokic the rest of the way or if this was something the Denver Nuggets didn’t expect, hence they were just caught off guard by it. If it is the former, then the Nuggets are in trouble, but if it’s the latter, then you worry for the Lakers in Game 2. They don’t seem to have any other plan for Jokic, as Anthony Davis wasn’t able to deal with him.
Rui Hachimura Continues To Impress In These Playoffs
The Golden State Warriors weren’t a particularly great matchup for Hachimura but against the Memphis Grizzlies and now the Nuggets, he has been very impressive. He finished Game 1 with 17 points on 8-11 shooting and looks set for his first start of this postseason in Game 2.
Ham had stated in the series against the Grizzlies that Hachimura is an All-Star type of talent and he has shown flashes of that this postseason. Doing it on a consistent basis, though is what separates the good players from the great ones.
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