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Nikola Joki\u0107 still notched a triple-double but didn\u2019t need to impose his will like we\u2019ve so often seen.<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic here<\/a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n DENVER \u2014 On one possession late, as the Denver Nuggets fastened shut their Game 1 win over Minnesota on Saturday, Nikola Joki\u0107 received the ball in the post with only Anthony Edwards behind him. That\u2019s a guaranteed bucket. Two dribbles from Joki\u0107 and Edwards would\u2019ve been under the basket like a picnic blanket.<\/p>\n But Joki\u0107 chose mercy and spared the Timberwolves\u2019 star. Denver\u2019s three-time MVP saw the mismatch, surveying the court over his right shoulder as he does. But instead of attacking Edwards, Joki\u0107 swung a pass to Nuggets forward Cam Johnson \u2014 Johnson slashed to the rim for a score.<\/p>\n The possession symbolized Joker\u2019s night. He levied his impact with presence more than imposition. He remained patient. He picked his spots, applying pressure when needed \u2014 such as a 3-point play once the Timberwolves cut the host\u2019s lead to two points with just over six minutes remaining. But, in the end, the depth of Denver claimed one of the 16 wins on the Nuggets\u2019 wish list. Jamal Murray\u2019s free throws and some sturdy perimeter defense proved enough to take Game 1 from Minnesota, 116-105, in their first-round Western Conference series.<\/p>\n Joki\u0107 chipped in, of course: 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. That such numbers qualify as a decent game illustrates his brilliance. No, this wasn\u2019t\u00a0that\u00a0kind of performance, even with the triple-double. Joki\u0107 spent more energy chirping at the refs than he did dominating. He struggled in the first half before progressing to the mean. But this was far from his best.<\/p>\n And it was fine. Enough to win Game 1 without Joki\u0107 switching to desperation mode already. A confidence earned from the Nuggets cultivating their depth during an injury-plagued season.<\/p>\n To be sure, Denver\u2019s 13th straight win fell well short of their \u201cA\u201d game as a collective. Murray\u2019s 30 points included 7-for-22 shooting and missing all eight attempts from behind the arc. Aaron Gordon \u2014 who entered this postseason having made 39.2 percent of his last 500 3-pointers \u2014 went 1-for-5 from deep. Both are capable of explosions.<\/p>\n Nuggets coach David Adelman went nine deep in Game 1, with seven players getting most of the minutes. But over the course of the odyssey that is the NBA playoffs, he could dust off Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett at any point. And Peyton Watson, the fourth-year wing who had a career year as a fill-in starter and key reserve, will return from the hamstring injury that kept him out of Game 1.<\/p>\n This shapes up to be a problem for the West and the reason any championship talk that doesn\u2019t include Denver comes from a flawed algorithm. The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio, the bullies in Detroit, the ever-explosive Boston Celtics \u2014 all credible championship contenders. But Joki\u0107, with a complete squad, well-versed in the volatility of minutes and opportunity, should be terrifying.<\/p>\n What makes him even more dangerous is this wrinkle: the wins Denver banks when he doesn\u2019t have to torch the opponent with historic production. When the Nuggets can win and he is just, you know,\u00a0there. Molding the game instead of owning it. Slicing the opponent instead of gouging.<\/p>\n Conservation. The new postseason luxury for Joki\u0107. He didn\u2019t even turn up after Minnesota wing Jaden McDaniels shoved him in the back. Somewhere,\u00a0Markieff Morris flinched a little.<\/p>\n Credit for part of Joki\u0107\u2019s sub-surrealness in Game 1 goes to Minnesota center Rudy Gobert. He executed a near-perfect game plan in his 17-point, 10-rebound performance. Gobert played big inside, forcing Joki\u0107 to contend with the Frenchman\u2019s length. Gobert navigated the Timberwolves\u2019 pick-and-roll defense impressively, dropping enough to be in Murray\u2019s vision but still nimbly staying connected to Joki\u0107. For the most part, Gobert conceded the open 3 to Joki\u0107, who made just two of his seven attempts. That\u2019s the correct poison to choose. Gobert, flexing his athleticism, moved his feet and absorbed the blow to his chest when Joki\u0107 drove.<\/p>\n In one first-quarter sequence, Joki\u0107 tried to drive on Gobert twice. Both times, Gobert knocked the ball away. So, the third time, Joki\u0107 turned to foul-baiting and turned it over.<\/p>\n And Gobert complemented his defense with his viability on offense. He went 8-for-9 from the field, forcing only an ill-conceived midrange jumper. Gobert\u2019s verticality kept Joki\u0107 engaged near the rim.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all Rudy,\u201d McDaniels said. \u201cRudy did a good job the whole game just guarding and taking the challenge. That\u2019s what we need every time we play against Joki\u0107, just Rudy coming to compete. That\u2019s the best game we\u2019ve had from Rudy this year.<\/p>\n \u201cHe keep doing that,\u201d McDaniels also said, \u201cwe\u2019re going to win.\u201d<\/p>\n But they didn\u2019t. That\u2019s one winnable game they didn\u2019t capture. Gobert played great, limiting Joki\u0107 to merely good, and Denver still won. Therein lies Minnesota\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n Because the otherworldly Joki\u0107 is still coming.<\/p>\n Gobert knows this. He\u2019s dealt with this mountain before. He knows the best strategy is to provoke Joki\u0107 to expend energy on both ends and hope it takes a toll.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really a mental game,\u201d Gobert said. \u201cAs a kid, I dreamed to be in this position, to be facing the best players in the world. \u2026 You just prepare as much as you can, and then once you\u2019re on the battlefield, it\u2019s just about being present. For me, it\u2019s giving maximum effort and letting the game take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Joki\u0107\u2019s greatest enemy is attrition. He is built for the longest of hauls. He\u2019s proven that. But the less he\u2019s required to go supernova, the more remains in his reserves. That matters, even for him.<\/p>\n The last two postseasons, after winning the 2023 championship, Denver played in four series. Three of them went seven games. All three of them felt like soul-draining epics. Last year, after surviving the L.A. Clippers, the Nuggets got manhandled in Game 7 against Oklahoma City. A spent Joki\u0107 looked powerless to stop the Thunder.<\/p>\n So the long play for Denver is winning his C-games. The time is perhaps coming when he has to muscle through on every possession. When the fourth quarter requires a rescue mission.<\/p>\n A championship journey measures endurance as much as excellence. And the path before Denver has the makings of one of the most treacherous ever.<\/p>\n Minnesota, thanks to its style of play and\u00a0the heroics of Edwards, is one of the toughest postseason outs. Edwards\u2019 lingering knee issues could make that less true this year. But no one would be surprised if this series extends out to seven games. Then, San Antonio could be waiting. Then the defending champs. Then whoever survives the East.<\/p>\n Denver needs Joki\u0107 to have something stored away. They don\u2019t want him running on fumes for the biggest games of the year. Game 1 against Minnesota was a step in that direction. So when the moment calls for domination, he can deliver it without compromise.<\/p>\n The smart money is on Minnesota responding. These teams have authored some riveting showdowns. The Timberwolves have been on the business end of some monster Joki\u0107 performances. If Edwards finds a rhythm, he can reach a greatness that requires Joki\u0107 to put on his cape.<\/p>\n Saturday, though, Joki\u0107 kept the cape tucked and spared Edwards in the post, because Denver\u2019s depth made it so Minnesota wasn\u2019t spared. If Joki\u0107 maintains the advantage of pacing himself, feels comfortable enough to pick and choose when to take down some Wilt Chamberlain feat, that\u2019s a scary proposition for the rest of the league.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Marcus Thompson II<\/a>\u00a0is a lead columnist at The Athletic. He is a prominent voice in the Bay Area sports scene after 18 years with Bay Area News Group, including 10 seasons covering the Warriors and four as a columnist. Marcus is also the author of the best-selling biography \u201cGOLDEN: The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry.\u201d\u00a0Follow Marcus on Twitter\u00a0@thompsonscribe<\/a><\/p>\n