DENVER — Nikola Jokić appeared trapped. Check that: Jokić was trapped. With a minute left in overtime and the Nuggets clinging to a two-point lead, Jokić picked up his dribble 11 feet from the rim, boxed in by the long arms of Victor Wembanyama. He faked a pass to shed an incoming double team, spun, switched pivot feet—the “Sombor Shuffle” as it’s known in the Rockies—and launched a skyscraping fadeaway over Wembanyama’s eight-foot reach.
Bucket.
And, 50-some odd seconds later, ball game: 136–134 Nuggets in OT.
“It’s insane,” marveled Nuggets coach David Adelman. “I just have never seen anybody that can shoot a floater like Nikola. It’s almost like the more contested it is, the better it is. It’s through the net even cleaner.
Shrugged Jokić, “Let it fly and enjoy the moment. Hopefully it is going to go in.”
Keep your NCAA tournament. Keep your Final Four, your Michigan vs. Arizona, your UConn vs. Illinois. This was the real game on Saturday. Nuggets-Spurs, two Western Conference powers. Two title contenders with something to play for led by two MVP candidates with hardware on the line. Early April matchups don’t come any bigger.
Inside the arena, you could feel it. The buzz from 20,000 fans—mostly blue-clad Nuggets supporters, though a not insignificant black-and-silver wearing Spurs crowd—built well before the 1 p.m. tip. They knew what they were there for. This was Russell vs. Chamberlain. Ali vs. Frazier. Magic vs. Bird. For Greek mythology fans, this was a real-life clash of the Titans.
Both coaches used pregame media availability to make closing arguments for their guy to win MVP. “I think if anybody who watches basketball has any idea what’s going on in the game of basketball knows that he should be up for the MVP,” said Adelman, “and should be one of the favorites to win.” Down the hall, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson pointed to Wembanyama’s recent run of superlative performances. “There’s nothing I can say to add to his case,” said Johnson. “He’s had a heck of a year.”
When the game started, both stars delivered. On an early possession, Jokić backed Wembanyama down, flipping a short layup in off the backboard. Earlier, Adelman was asked about how Jokić prepares to face Wembanyama’s length. “Every kind of shot you can imagine somebody practicing,” said Adelman, “that guy practices it.” It showed. Jokić knocked down midrange jumpers, lofted in floaters and scored on putbacks. He racked up 40 points in 44 minutes, chipping in 13 assists and eight rebounds.
“He makes you pay for any subtle mistake or slippage,” said Johnson. “He has all the tricks and the counters and the skills.”
Wembanyama is picking up a few of them. Wemby’s final stat line: 34 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists. He had an early alley-oop dunk on Jokić in the first quarter. He attacked the paint like a 7' 4" point guard on one possession and pulled up for a transition three on the next. Nearly half of his points (16) came on free throws. On the defensive end, he swatted away five shots.
“Wembanyama,” muttered Adelman. “Amazing talent.”
This game mattered to both teams. San Antonio remains within reach of the top seed. Denver entered Saturday winners of seven straight and a game behind the suddenly injury-ravaged Lakers for third. And they played like it. Aaron Gordon, still easing his way back from a hamstring injury, blew past his minutes restriction. No Nuggets starter played fewer than 39. Wembanyama, whose minutes have been carefully monitored all year, played a season-high 40.
They needed every one of them. The Spurs led by four after three quarters. They built an 11-point lead in the fourth before the Nuggets clawed back to jump ahead by one. With six seconds left, Jokić found a cutting Gordon for a game-tying dunk. Wembanyama had the chance to win the game in regulation but his 12-foot runner rimmed off.
In overtime, the two teams went back and forth. Jokić buried a jumper to give Denver a two-point lead. Julian Champagnie knocked down a three to put San Antonio back out front. In the final minute, Jokić took over. The fadeaway over Wembanyama gave the Nuggets a four-point lead. After a Spurs score, Jokić pushed in a seven-footer to stretch the lead back there. With three seconds Jokić stepped to the free throw line to ice the game away, as MVP chants echoed around him.
“It was really enjoyable, really challenging,” said Wembanyama. “Looking forward to doing that again.”
Said Adelman, “I know [in] sports, pessimism is everywhere. I would pay to watch these two teams play.”
Adelman … and everyone else. Jokić and Wembanyama feels like a generational conference rivalry. One the most dynamic offensive big men in NBA history. The other on a trajectory to become the most dominant defensive player the league has ever seen. They didn’t match up on every possession on Saturday. Gordon drew the bulk of the Wembanyama minutes for Denver while the Spurs did some mixing and matching of their own. But they matched up enough to make everyone want to see more.
“I think the first time I played against him, I told you guys he was gonna change the league, change basketball,” said Jokić. “I still obviously think that. He has an opportunity to be the most unique basketball player to ever play the game. Is it fun? Yes. It’s fun against everybody.”
Said Wembanyama, “I think it was an amazing game. Very fun. One of the most fun games. I wish we could’ve closed it out. My conclusion of this game is that it was good for us. It’s a real test against a team that’s actually playing for something right now.”
The two teams will meet again in a week for the season finale. Chances are the stakes for that one will be considerably lower. It doesn’t matter. If Jokić and Wembanyama are playing, you watch. You know you will get your money’s worth.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nikola Jokić vs. Victor Wembanyama Delivers a Battle Worthy of the Hype.
