“Wasn’t Surprised By Nikola Jokic At All!”: Kevin Durant Praises Nuggets’ MVP After Historic WCSF Performance Against Suns

Advait Jajodia | 12/05/2023
“Wasn't Surprised By Nikola Jokic At All!”: Kevin Durant Praises Nuggets’ MVP After Historic WCSF Performance Against Suns

Playing without the likes of Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, the Phoenix Suns were victims to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of their Western Conference Semifinals battle. With Nikola Jokic erupting for yet another 30-point triple-double, the Colorado-based franchise grabbed a 25-point blowout win at the Footprint Center, winning the series 4-2. While Kevin Durant didn’t quite perform up to the mark, getting dominated by the Joker didn’t come as a surprise to him.

The Serbian superstar had a much better production in the second round than his first-round performance. Lodging some back-to-back historic outings, the Suns’ defense had absolutely no answer for the 2-time Most Valuable Player, something Kevin Durant commented on after this contest was over.

“Nikola Jokic went out there and did what he was supposed to do”: Kevin Durant

While Devin Booker decided to leave the arena without talking to the media, the Slim Reaper had quite an extensive postgame interview. During the same, one of the media members even asked the Durantula about Nikola’s performance and whether it came to him as a surprise or not.

Talking about his admiration for the 6-foot-11 big man, the 2014 Most Valuable Player wasn’t surprised. The simple reason – Nikola’s an all-time great and “did what he was supposed to do”. Further talking about Mike Malone’s boys’ chemistry, the 2-time Finals MVP said the following as per NBA TV’s tweet.

“I always have respect. I always knew how great he was. Not surprised that these guys are good, especially somebody like Jokic, I’ve been watching him, played against him before. I won’t say I learnt something new, great team, multiple guys that play well together.

Jokic is all time great. He gon go down as one of the all-time great centers that ever touched a basketball. He went out there and did what he was supposed to do.”

 

Jokic’s historic Conference Semifinals display

The versatile center was simply unstoppable. We saw the 28-year-old put up all different types of stat lines – a first-ever 30/17/17 performance in the postseason, a 53-point double-double, and 2 more triple-doubles.

While Nikola averaged an admirable 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, and  9 assists against the Timberwolves, he managed to improve all these stats in the second round.

Being only the first player in 60 years to do so in a series win, the Joker lodged 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 10.3 assists, as you can see in Jake Coyne’s tweet below.

With the likes of Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., KCP, and the others also looking in impeccable form too, the Nuggets may very well win the first NBA championship in franchise history this season.

Post Edited By: Tonoy Sengupta
Denver Nuggets Kevin Durant Nikola Jokic Phoenix Suns

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Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

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