Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic reminded the world why he’s considered the best player in the NBA with a scintillating display in the Denver Nuggets’ crucial Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. After the game, Anthony Edwards was asked about his thoughts on the big man’s amazing night. With a little smile on his face, the 22-year-old admitted he could do nothing more than give him his flowers.
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“I just laugh, that’s all I can do. I can’t be mad… he’s the MVP. The best player in the NBA. He showed it the last three games. He was special tonight. I have to give him his flowers. He was that guy.” per Ben Golliver.
Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards on Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic’s Game 5: “I just laugh. That’s all I can do. I can’t be mad. … He’s the MVP. He’s the best player in the NBA. He showed it the last three games. … He was special tonight. I have to give him his flowers. He was that guy.” pic.twitter.com/C0x3kylQS2
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 15, 2024
Edwards’ seemingly resigned response is only understandable. After all, in a pivotal Game 5, the Serbian recorded an incredible 40 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Further, he was beyond efficient, shooting 68.2% from the field, and 66.7% from beyond the arc.
Worse, the Timberwolves have thrown two different tactics at Jokic in the last two games and neither has worked.
In Game 4, they double-teamed the Serbian center with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. But when the help defender arrived, the Nuggets superstar would simply dump the ball off to a wide-open Aaron Gordon in the paint for easy dunks. Consequently, the forward finished the game with 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting, prompting Minnesota to abandon the tactic.
On Tuesday, the Timberwolves deployed man-to-man defense and tasked Gobert to guard Jokic. The result was worse, as the four-time Defensive Player of the Year was no match for the MVP, as he scored 40 points and dished 13 assists without committing a single turnover.
Minnesota has seemingly exhausted every avenue in the last two games but hasn’t had a single answer for Jokic. The team really is left with no option but to give him his props and go right back to the drawing board ahead of Game 6.
Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are one win away from the Conference Finals
The series got off to a disastrous start for Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, as they lost both games at home and fell behind 0-2. Game 2 was especially brutal for the defending champions as they were held to only 80 points, the fourth-lowest total for the franchise in a playoff game.
The disappointing display prompted Charles Barkley, Gilbert Arenas, and Stephen A. Smith to go as far as to completely write off the Nuggets and predict a sweep.
With his team’s title aspirations in the doldrums, Jokic stepped up and showed exactly why he is the reigning MVP. In Games 3, 4, and 5, he has averaged 33 points, 9.7 assists, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game, while shooting 60.6% from the field. Needless to say, it was due to his exceptional performances that the Nuggets were able to supercede a 0-2 deficit and take a 3-2 lead in the series.
As things stand, the Denver Nuggets sit just one win away from a trip to the Western Conference Finals. And with the team now firing on all cylinders, it seems likely that they will close this series out in six games.
That said, the team can’t rest easy just yet. After all, anything can happen in the NBA.
