Nikola Jokic continues to be among the most elite NBA athletes.
He seems to get a triple-double every other night, dominating his opponents in all facets of the game.
While Jokic is a prolific scorer for the Denver Nuggets, even the best players have off nights.
Jokic was asked about his atypical shooting performance against the Los Angeles Clippers in a postgame conversation shared via ClutchPoints.
He said, “I don’t know. I was taking the shots I usually take.”
“I don’t know. I was taking the shots I usually take. Some possessions, they played really good defense. When you miss 25 shots, it’s a little bit of everything.”
Nikola Jokic on shooting 9-of-32 vs. the Clippers.
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/PuTrcVvCUH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 7, 2023
Jokic ended the night with 22 points, but he only made nine of his 32 attempts.
This was a far cry from his season average of 28.6 points per game and a stark departure from his usual clip of 54.6% from the field.
While he still ended the game with a triple-double, it was clear that Jokic was unhappy with how he shot the ball.
With his lackluster shooting performance in mind, this was a significant reason for the Nuggets’ loss to the Clippers.
When Jokic is efficient, few teams can stop the Nuggets.
However, when he puts forth a more pedestrian effort than expected, other teams have a much better chance of winning, which the Nuggets were able to capitalize on.
Jokic will bounce back, as he tends to do after a poor performance.
The Nuggets’ next game is against the Houston Rockets, a prime opportunity for Jokic to get back on the right track.
This game could be incredibly impactful for Jokic and the Nuggets, as they will be in front of their home crowd, hoping to get back in the win column.
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