{"id":700380,"date":"2026-04-05T23:03:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T23:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/700380\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T23:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T23:03:14","slug":"wembanyama-blocked-jokics-sombor-shuffle-how-jokic-got-revenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/700380\/","title":{"rendered":"Wembanyama blocked Jokic’s Sombor Shuffle. How Jokic got revenge."},"content":{"rendered":"

Nikola Jokic<\/a> doesn\u2019t dwell. But he doesn\u2019t forget, either.<\/p>\n

You may have forgotten about Jan. 3, 2025. The night Victor Wembanyama<\/a> played his 100th NBA game. The night he blocked Jokic\u2019s most un-blockable shot<\/a> during a 1-on-1, winner-take-all possession. The night it became clear just how fast \u201cWemby\u201d was gaining on the world\u2019s best basketball player.<\/p>\n

Jokic was here, in the Ball Arena press room 15 months later, to remind you. After reminding the NBA world that his Sombor Shuffle is alive and well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you guys remember two years ago or whatever, he actually blocked the same type of shot,\u201d Jokic said. \u201c\u2026 I kind of threw it away, and we lost the game. So I think it was nothing different (this time). Maybe I just created a little more space. Who knows?\u201d<\/p>\n

The turnaround, fading, high-arcing jumper off one leg is usually Jokic\u2019s fail safe, his escape hatch from awkward spots on the court \u2014 catapulted from that unorthodox and impenetrable shooting pocket behind his head, reserved for when he\u2019s up against the most formidable defenders and the clock. Many of the great shot blockers of this generation have fallen victim to it, from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Anthony Davis, from Rudy Gobert to Chet Holmgren<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But not Wembanyama. Until April 4, 2026, the lasting memory between these transcendent but antithetical bigs was that of Jokic\u2019s signature shot thwarted. On that night 15 months ago, the French wunderkind accomplished a feat none of the others could, forcing Jokic to give up on the Sombor mid-shuffle with a close-out that practically reached into the upper deck. Recognizing he was about to be swatted, Jokic tried to sling an impromptu pass out of his shooting form \u2014 a panicked decision and a game-ending turnover.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t allow the flashback to consume him in the heat of the moment Saturday, as he challenged Wembanyama 1-on-1 with a minute left in overtime and the Nuggets leading by two. \u201cIf that goes through my mind,\u201d he said afterward, \u201cwe\u2019re in big trouble.\u201d But he had kept the bad memory compartmentalized somewhere in there, deep in the competitive archives of his brain. Jokic dropped his right shoulder into Wembanyama, spun away from a stunting second defender on his left pivot foot, then planted his right at the elbow for take-off. It was a 15-footer over a 10-foot obstacle. Not even Wembanyama could guard it this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet it fly and enjoy the moment,\u201d Jokic said, quoting former teammate Mike Miller. \u201cAnd hopefully it\u2019s gonna go in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denver\u2019s 136-134 win over the Spurs<\/a> had everything a great NBA game can hope for. Both coaches moved their chess pieces around the board, cross-matching centers on non-shooters and wings on centers, desperate to dodge foul trouble or eager to exploit a weak link. Unsung heroes emerged from those schematic decisions, with San Antonio\u2019s Julian Champagnie and Denver\u2019s Christian Braun combining to go 11-for-20 from the 3-point line.<\/p>\n

Stars made sacrificial effort plays that could convince most spectators this was a playoff showdown \u2014 Jamal Murray diving into the second row to save a loose ball, Aaron Gordon developing a limp then playing through it to guard De\u2019Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama on game-deciding possessions. Officiating became an incendiary subplot; controversial calls and no-calls stirred the pot in the first half without ever completely derailing the game once Denver and San Antonio got down to business later.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crowd is into it. The referees are into it. The benches are into it,\u201d Cam Johnson said. \u201cSo the theater is there.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the pounding heart of this regular-season classic was something simpler, the human drama of sports reduced to its most digestible form. A direct showdown between basketball\u2019s most awe-inspiring offensive artist<\/a> and its most gravity-defying defensive acrobat. There is perhaps no more compelling 1-on-1 matchup in sports today than Jokic trying to score over Wembanyama, Wembanyama trying to block Jokic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the first time I played against him, I told you guys that he\u2019s gonna change the league, he was gonna change basketball,\u201d Jokic said. \u201cI still think that. And I think he has an opportunity, a chance to be the most unique basketball player to ever play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the handful of occasions in each game between them when Jokic catches at the elbow and his teammates clear out, an anxious hush invariably falls over a buzzing arena. Every eye is rapt for the next three to eight seconds. It\u2019s Alcaraz unfurling a drop shot and Sinner giving pursuit toward the net; Ohtani pitching to Judge with a full count.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good for sports,\u201d Nuggets coach David Adelman said. \u201cThe way they both do it is completely different, and at the same time, it\u2019s its own unique, awesome thing. You\u2019re not gonna see two people like this in many generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both are super-human in their own ways, one physically, one cerebrally, and both are competitive beyond imagination. Both have walked away from battles licking their wounds. And Saturday \u2014 their first clash this season \u2014 still felt like the beginning of their rivalry. They\u2019ve faced off only seven times. Wembanyama has traded in rising stardom for MVP candidacy this year, signaling the start of his prime. They haven\u2019t had an opportunity to duel in a playoff series yet, because this month will be Wemby\u2019s playoff debut after an expedited rebuild in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking forward to doing that again,\u201d he said Saturday. He finished with 34 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks in the loss. It was only the second taste of defeat he has experienced since the start of February.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was an amazing game,\u201d Wembanyama reflected. \u201cVery fun. One of the most fun games. I wish we could have closed it out. My conclusion from this game is that it\u2019s good for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Spurs were starting to seem invincible with him in the lineup. The Nuggets revealed they aren\u2019t. As Jokic found out on Jan. 3, 2025, sometimes it\u2019s healthy to learn that about yourself.<\/p>\n

Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nikola Jokic doesn\u2019t dwell. But he doesn\u2019t forget, either. You may have forgotten about Jan. 3, 2025. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":698856,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3781],"tags":[877,495,2276,7,1828,366,561,765,250,301,187,3943,766,123,762,165,484,252,6,253,302,373,66,693],"class_list":{"0":"post-700380","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-nuggets","8":"tag-aaron-gordon","9":"tag-anthony-davis","10":"tag-ball-arena","11":"tag-basketball","12":"tag-cam-johnson","13":"tag-chet-holmgren","14":"tag-christian-braun","15":"tag-colorado","16":"tag-david-adelman","17":"tag-denver","18":"tag-denver-nuggets","19":"tag-denvernuggets","20":"tag-front-range","21":"tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","22":"tag-jamal-murray","23":"tag-latest-headlines","24":"tag-mike-miller","25":"tag-more-nuggets-news","26":"tag-nba","27":"tag-nikola-jokic","28":"tag-nuggets","29":"tag-rudy-gobert","30":"tag-sports","31":"tag-victor-wembanyama"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116354604301806540","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/698856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}