Nikola Jokic rolled up in the Joker\u2019s suit, then performed like a court jester.<\/p>\n
It all seemed like a bad joke, that Denver\u2019s season would wilt away not for the usual reasons, but on account of its dependable superstar and the sudden disappearance of his immaculate touch. Jokic wasn\u2019t the conniving villain implied by his pregame wardrobe. This was not Joker\u2019s revenge game against the system. This was his rare turn to play the fool.<\/p>\n
But the Nuggets refused to allow his box score to be a punchline. They buoyed Jokic, bought him just enough time until he could have the last laugh at his own expense. The postgame wit was predictably self-deprecating.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically,\u201d Jokic said, \u201cI was the worst player on the court today.\u201d<\/p>\n
If he\u2019s to be taken at his word \u2014 no class clown is \u2014 then the Nuggets won Game 3 in spite of their MVP<\/a>. And they\u2019re somehow up 2-1 in a playoff series they have no business winning, a series in which Jokic has been contained to a running total of 18 assists and 21 turnovers and one premature disqualification.<\/p>\n He fouled out before the end of the third quarter in Game 2, flustered by the whistle as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s Thunder ran him out of their gym. Denver lost by 43. Back home, Jokic arrived to Game 3 in a purple suit punctuated by a green vest \u2014 a statement outfit that could only be pulled off by Gotham\u2019s clown prince of crime himself.<\/p>\n Alas, he didn\u2019t put on a show worthy of his runway garb. His 6-for-23 shooting clip in regulation included a missed opportunity to win at the buzzer and a jarring 0-for-10 showing from 3-point range.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I don\u2019t know what they are doing,\u201d he said when asked about the Thunder\u2019s defense. \u201cBecause if I knew, probably I\u2019m not gonna have those kinds of mistakes. So I need to figure out what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Jokic isn\u2019t the type to need his coach to defend him in the media \u2014 his psyche is generally impervious to outside criticism \u2014 but Nuggets interim coach David Adelman did want to add some context to the notion that Jokic was a hindrance Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, 20, 16 and six. Just an awful NBA night,\u201d a sarcastic Adelman said. \u201c\u2026 The stat sheet always says something, but sometimes it says nothing at the same time. The guy shoots 45% from three. He had an off night. If we would\u2019ve lost this game, I would\u2019ve walked in here, and you would\u2019ve said, \u2018Why is he shooting so many 3s?\u2019 I\u2019d have said, \u2018He shoots 45% from three.\u2019 So he\u2019s gonna shoot 3s. The paint is packed.\u201d<\/p>\n That isn\u2019t about to change, either. Oklahoma City can shrink better than any team in the league and still recover to the perimeter in mostly punctual fashion. It\u2019s potent stuff, a defense that has its cake and eats it, too. Sometimes when pacing himself in a long series, Jokic\u2019s best read is simply to pick-and-pop, not pick-and-roll; to spot up rather than post up.<\/p>\n \u201cThe guys were lifting me up,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026 Actually, I\u2019m kind of glad at myself that I still keep shooting even if the ball was not going in.\u201d<\/p>\n The problem was that it wasn\u2019t anywhere close. Jokic typically gives himself a chance at earning the shooter\u2019s bounce even when he\u2019s a smidge inaccurate. These were clunkers. With about seven minutes to play and Denver trailing 93-92, he missed wide right on a 3-pointer from the top of the key, where he\u2019s usually comfortable.<\/p>\n In 14 career games with 10 or more 3-point attempts before Friday, he had made at least two of them every time. This was certifiably his worst night ever as a perimeter threat.<\/p>\n The depth-challenged Nuggets knocked off a 68-win opponent anyway, with timely defense against Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> and clutch shot-making from Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr.<\/a> and Aaron Gordon<\/a>. They even resumed their game of Playoff Rotation Russian Roulette, with Zeke Nnaji taking his turn as the eighth man. Anything to provide the other seven with a little wiggle room to pace themselves. This series demands it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see (Jokic) fighting through all the no-calls, through all the shots that go in and out, how frustrating that all can be, but he\u2019s still fighting, giving his all,\u201d Nnaji told The Denver Post. \u201cSo that motivates us to play even harder and fight for him just as much.\u201d<\/p>\n This has more or less been an organizational refrain for multiple years now, from team president Josh Kroenke all the way down to the end of the bench. Everything the Nuggets do is in service of Jokic, every decision an act of stewardship of his talent. Veneration has almost developed into an unhealthy burden as much as an inspiring creed. The front office owes it\u00a0to Jokic to acquire a certain player. The roster\u00a0owes it\u00a0to him to consistently deliver. Anything less is failing him.<\/p>\n The self-applied pressure is heavy. The reality is that Jokic remains as mortal as every other individual working at Ball Arena. He\u2019s capable of failing the Nuggets, too. In a bizarre Game 3, he did, and the Nuggets overcame it so that he could laugh about it \u2014 signifying a major step forward in their maturity as a team, rather than merely a player and his supporting cast.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s frustrated,\u201d Adelman said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re that efficient \u2014 maybe arguably one of the most efficient players to ever play any sport \u2014 yeah, I get it. I get why he\u2019s frustrated. But Game 4 is gonna come, and he\u2019s gonna touch it a million times. Hope he shoots it all the time. \u2026 And our team right now, they\u2019re picking each other up man by man.\u201d<\/p>\n