Nikola Jokic Rejects the Notion He Played Well Despite Scoring 41 in Losing Effort to the Clippers

Despite a 41-point outburst from Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets were unable to cinch their first regular season win tonight. The media at Ball Arena asked the three-time MVP after the game if he felt any type of way after playing well and still coming up short against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“Just because I score 40 today doesn’t mean I played good. I think we all need to be better,”  the Joker stated clearly. As the leader of the Mile High franchise, Jokic was willing to share the blame for the team’s loss – even though he had the highest-scoring game of the 2024-25 season so far.

“I think we don’t need to question my patience because I’m with the guys, I’m not separate from them. So just because I score a lot doesn’t mean that I played good or I played bad. I think we all need to be better,” Jokic added during the presser.

This mindset from the Nuggets superstar shows why he has been so successful without another MVP-caliber player on the team. The Serbian only cares about the collective effort and doesn’t see himself separate from the rest of the roster.

The Nuggets’ star center also collected 9 boards while dropping in a career-high 7 three-pointers against the Clippers. However, there were still areas of the game where his performance held the team back. Particularly on the defensive end, against fellow European, Ivica Zubac.

The Croatian center secured 15 rebounds while scoring 24 points for Los Angeles. Zubac was repeatedly able to exploit Jokic in the pick-and-roll, shooting a blistering hot 64.7% from the field. Furthermore, Jokic missed a game-tying free-throw in the final 20 seconds of the contest, forcing the Nuggets to rely on fouling down the stretch.

Much like in their previous game, Denver also suffered from a clear lack of scoring options as Jokic and Jamal Murray accounted for 10 of the team’s 14 made threes. It’s clearly something Mike Malone needs to address soon, though Murray himself isn’t sweating it just yet.

Despite shooting struggles, Jamal Murray has “confidence in the guys”

The Nuggets’ opening night saw them shoot 7-of-38 from beyond the arc, with 3 of those makes coming from Jokic and Murray. Their bench was only able to convert 1 three-pointer against OKC and tonight, they doubled that number as Julian Strawther went 2 for 2 from deep and was the only second unit player to convert a field goal.

Murray had 22 points, 5 assists and 2 steals tonight, improving on his 12-point performance against the Thunder. But it wasn’t enough to overcome OKC.

However, he’s clearly taking Nikola Jokic’s lead and remaining patient. When asked if he’s worried about Denver’s cold shooting hand to start the season, the Canadian point guard replied, “Not really, I have so much confidence in the guys.”

Murray pointed out how the Nuggets roster has had a lot of continuity since their championship win in 2023, which has built trust within the roster.

“Hunter [Tyson] hasn’t made a shot yet and we know he can shoot. P-Wat [Peyton Watson] is coming back from injury…and we know what he’s capable of on both ends. CB [Christian Braun] has taken the leap. I think we’re gradually getting better, it’s just not translating to wins yet,” the 27-year-old said.

Of course, with the loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Denver will need Murray to step up. If he can build momentum and put together an All-Star caliber season, that will do plenty to keep the Nuggets in championship contention.

Jokic and Murray now jet off to the East, where they can secure their first wins of the season in back-to-back games against the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets.