Denver’s big man Nikola Jokic just combined for one of his greatest-ever performances this weekend, as he scored a total of 104 points in his last two games. First a career-high 56 points against the Wizards, and then finally added 48 more the next day in a win against the Hawks.
Unfortunately, his Saturday display didn’t mean much to him, as his efforts weren’t enough to pick up a victory for the Nuggets.”I think today and the last couple games were really bad for us,” the Serbian said. “We are really going in the wrong direction. I think it’s everybody’s fault.”
At least that night, after losing to Washington, he didn’t show any excitement over his incredible stat line that also included 16 rebounds and 8 assists. Believe it or not, the Wizards ended a 16-straight loss skid that night, beating the Colorado side 122-133.
There's consistency… there's dominance… and then there's the Joker.
🤯 56, 16 and 8 last night
🤯 48, 14 and 8 tonightNikola Jokić is consistently dominant. pic.twitter.com/b3XZGnS2fZ
— NBA (@NBA) December 9, 2024
As for Denver, who haven’t been able to win back-to-back games in almost a month, finally won on Sunday against Atlanta and extended their record to 12-10. However, if the regular season came to an end today, they would only qualify in the Western Conference as a play-in team.
“In my country, where I’m coming from, after this kind of stretch, you’re going to get paycheck that is a little bit less than you had hoped,” the versatile center told the press on Saturday night. “Maybe that’s what we need to do. Maybe a little motivation.”
It is important to mention that Nikola had a great deal of offensive responsibility that evening, as his squad wasn’t in full strength due to injuries. Against Washington, Dario Saric was out with an ankle issue, Jamal Murray was still suffering from his hamstring, and Aaron Gordon continues to recover from his calf injury.
Jokic, who his previous career high in scoring was 50 points, ended up attempting 38 shots from the field to try and beat the Wizards. “I was forcing at the end,” he admitted, as he hit 23 points on 20 shots during the game’s third quarter, when they cut their 12-point deficit to 6 points.
Nikola returned the smile on his coach’s face on Sunday, who praised his Serbian star by saying he will never take him for granted
After losing to the Wizards on Saturday, coach Michael Malone admitted to feeling “embarrassed” and even said he had been doing a “really poor job” with his team this season. However, his discourse changed entirely on Sunday when Nikola’s 48-point display led them back to victory against the Hawks.
“I can’t say I’m surprised because I’ve been spoiled by having the best seat in the house to watch this guy for 10 years, to watch him do it night-in, night-out,” Malone shared. “I feel privileged to have the chance to coach him. I never take it for granted.”
After the contest on Sunday evening, the three-time MVP was asked his mentality during this hot streak.”Just maybe being aggressive,” said Jokic, who all o added 14 rebounds, eight assists and three steals to his stat line. “The ball is finding me, and the ball is going in most of the time. Just one of those nights.”
Atlanta, on the other hand, had come into that matchup on a six-game winning streak, but were overcome by Michael Porter Jr’s 26-point performance for the Nuggets, plus teammate’s Christian Braun 17-point contribution.
