Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic struggled with his efficiency once again in Game 4, shooting just 7-22 from the field and 2-8 from three-point range. “The Joker” did finish with 27 points and 13 rebounds, but the Nuggets lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 87-92, and their series is now tied at 2-2.
Many pundits have taken notice of Jokic’s recent struggles, especially in their current playoff series against the Thunder. Hall of Famer Charles Barkley thinks that “The Joker” is slowing down because of the wear and tear he’s accumulated this season as a result of the Nuggets’ lack of depth, especially at his position.
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“Denver has not addressed their backup center situation or their bench,” said Barkley. “That’s one of the things that hurt them last year. Cuz he gave out of gas last year against Rudy and Big Kat. So I don’t think it’s fair to blame everything on the Joker, but he is not playing well, and I think he’s wearing down.”
Worst player on the court in Game 3
Last year, the Nuggets were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a close seven-game series. Denver was up 3-2 in that series before Jokic looked like he ran out of gas, shooting a combined 22-47 in Games 6 and 7.
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This season, we saw “The Joker” play a career-high 36.7 minutes per game during the regular season, and that has increased further to 39.8 minutes per game in the postseason. With the Serbian doing heavy lifting for Denver, he might be sputtering again in the same round as Nikola has shot just 33.3 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from three-ball in his last three games played.
Denver lost two of those three games, and in the contest they won, Jamal Murray led the way with 27 points, and Aaron Gordon sent the game to overtime. Jokic had 20 points and 16 rebounds in that game, but the three-time MVP shot 8-25 from the floor and admitted that he was “the worst player on the floor” for the Nuggets in Game 3.
OKC’s defense is doing a good job defending Jokic
On Sunday afternoon, the Serbian center led the Nuggets in scoring with 27 points while also pulling down 13 rebounds. However, Nikola was a mere 7-22 from the field and 2-8 from 3-point distance. After the game, Jokic admitted his shooting woes and credited the Thunder defense for doing a good job on him.
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“They’re playing really good defense on me,” said Jokic. “They’re really into my body, physical. I think I missed two or three open looks last night, so it’s a little bit of everything. They’re shrinking the floor on me. They’re having a guy behind the defender, so it’s a bit of everything. I need to do a better job, of course, but it’s part of the game.”
Make no mistake, the Thunder were the best defensive team in the league during the regular season. However, in Game 4, Coach David Adelman played only six players in the second half, while Jokic’s backup, DeAndre Jordan, played just 36 minutes in seven playoff games. It does look like Chuck is right. Nikola may be running on fumes right now.