Home court advantage is convincingly a legitimate advantage for the Denver Nuggets who are now 8-2, coming right out the gate, sensing any weakness from every visiting contender at Ball Arena. Four out of the last five games of their winning streak have been at home with a boost from a supportive crowd that gets the team fired up when motivation is needed to finish strong. The Nuggets enter each game with an explosive mindset, which makes it a grueling task for opponents to be able to break them mentally.
Through the first 10 games it has come as no surprise that Nikola “Joker” Jokic has been a colossal force on every inch of the court, averaging a notable triple-double (26.2 Points, 13.2 Rebounds, 11.4 Assists, 66.9 FG%). Over the last five games, there is no debate that he is the greatest player in the world of basketball.
Nikola Jokic (Last 5 game average): 32PPG, 12RPG, 12APP, 2.0 SPG, 72.7 FG%, 47.6% 3P, 14.4 +/-, 33.1 MPG
Denver Nuggets Head Coach David Adelman had this to say about Joker and how he has been performing:
“It just seems like he’s really comfortable right now. There’s not a lot of words to describe what he’s doing right now. And he did it in 32 minutes, which is good for us. We didn’t have to play him into the ground. Nikola obviously is playing at a ridiculous level.”
– Head Coach David Adelman
There is no other player in the NBA that comes close to putting up numbers or controlling the game the way that Joker continues to do. At times where there’s been an immense amount of pressure on Denver’s GOAT, he seems to flourish and improve each game. Nov 7th (26pts), Nov 8th (32pts), Nov 11th (35pts). There isn’t a Center in the NBA that is more efficient no matter who is defending against Jokic, who is expected to finish with a double-double at the least, every time that he steps on the court.
Some words of encouragement from Denver Nuggets HC Davis Adelman:
“It reminds me of years back. He had some wrist issues the last couple of years, and it just seems like he’s really comfortable right now. 16 of 19 is absolutely insane. He did it all over the floor. There’s not a lot of words to describe what he’s doing right now.”
– Head Coach David Adelman
Don’t let his insanely absurd stats confuse you with the misconception of Joker not choosing to distribute the rock. He gives a ton of credit to his comrades that play a significant part in him racking up his assists. Joker certainly stands out, but undoubtedly the whole team is balling.
The Nuggets made Sacramento crumble last night. The Kings had no answer for Jokic, who only played for 32 minutes and nailed 16 of the 19 shots that he took. Or had an answer for the five other Nuggets players who scored double digits showing how much depth the Nuggets possess. It’s still early in the season. And tonight, the Nuggets will look to travel on the road and look to add a dub and continue their brilliant style of play in LA tonight, as they go head-to-head with the under performing (3-7) LA Clippers.
Dante Robinson | Senior NBA Analyst for The NSR Network
