Nikola Jokic doesn’t need a nudge.
A dialed-in Most Valuable Player dismantled Minnesota’s top-ranked defense and brought Denver within a win of a return to the conference finals in Tuesday’s 112-97 victory at Ball Arena. He produced consistently throughout but took just one shot in the first five minutes of the third quarter. It was one of his seven misses on 22 attempts on the night before he resumed his takeover.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he didn’t call Jokic’s number more often or say anything to get his superstar going again.
“That’s Nikola Jokic,” Malone said. “He’s one of nine three-time MVPs. I don’t have to nudge him. He reads the game, and I trust him 1,000%. I think it was just when he’s being guarded one-on-one, go to work and put the team on your back. “
Jokic did just that. He was at his most locked in after the Timberwolves took a one-point lead early in the third quarter. He scored 16 of his 40 points in the final 6 minutes and 32 seconds of the period, including a pair of tough three-point plays. Denver led by 14 at the start of the fourth quarter.
“If Jok’s got it going, there’s no need for me to force anything,” Jamal Murray said.
“If Jok’s scoring like that, there’s no need to do anything special.”
The big night started with a driving two-handed dunk. It was his second impressive slam in as many games, as he dunked over Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards in Game 4. Jokic said Minnesota’s size and rim protection wasn’t forcing him to finish with more authority.
“I had an open lane,” Jokic said before turning humorous. “I’m a freak of nature, why not show my athleticism?”
After Minnesota made a run to close within 11 in the final four minutes, Jokic splashed a step-back 3 to give him 40 points and drain any hopes of the Timberwolves taking Game 5. He made 15 of 22 shots, including two of his three 3-point attempts, and 8 of his 9 free throws.
The three-time Most Valuable Player went right at Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, who won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award this season, throughout the game and maintained consistency throughout.
“He had 40. He missed seven shots on the Defensive Player of the Year,” Murray said. “It felt like he had 50. Whenever he gets going like that you just got to let him dictate the way the game is going to go.”
Jokic added 13 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one block. He did not commit a turnover in 41 minutes of playing time.
“The last three games, three consecutive wins, he’s shown everybody why he is arguably, you know, one of the best players to play this game,” Malone said.
Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 23 points, and Gobert added 18, but Denver produced its best defensive game of the series against Anthony Edwards, who finished with 14 points on 12 shots.
Most of the 19,992 people in attendance showed their superstar who received his third Michael Jordan trophy pregame with “M-V-P” chants from start to finish.
“The love from the crowd, you can feel it,” Jokic said.
“It’s just a moment that I’m going to remember my whole life.”
Denver’s only NBA MVP won’t receive the same chants as the Nuggets look to close out the series Thursday in Minnesota, and the Timberwolves could throw some junk defenses his way to try to keep him in check. The way Jokic is operating, it might not matter.
“His IQ is off the charts,” Malone said. “He probably belongs to Mensa, and he probably doesn’t even know what Mensa is.”
Jokic said he’s not a genius after his masterclass performance, but his basketball brilliance was on full display in a big spot Tuesday.
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