Clippers' horse hats ploy does little to distract Nikola Jokic's concentration as the Nuggets star goes 3-4 from charity stripe

The LA Clippers did all they could to slow down Nikola Jokic for Game 3, including giving horse hats to their fans at "The Wall." It didn't do much, as Jokic went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line, yet the Clippers took down the Denver Nuggets with ease.

Jokic still earned a triple-double of 23 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, but the Clippers were just too much. The three-time NBA MVP barely had any help outside of Jamal Murray, who also had 23 points in the Nuggets' 117-83 loss. It was his 20th career triple-double in the postseason.

Fox Sports' Rachel Nichols shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the Clippers gave fans at "The Wall" of the Intuit Dome horse hats. It was to distract "The Joker," who was known for his love of horses.

He went to the charity stripe four times and made three.

The LA Clippers used the momentum from their win in Game 2 to dominate the Denver Nuggets in Game 3. They made a huge run in the first half when Nikola Jokic was sitting down to rest. They capitalized on the Nuggets' propensity to play badly without their best player on the court.

Jokic barely got a breather, but the damage was done, and there was no coming back for the visitors. They enter a must-win situation in Game 4 on Saturday as they look to tie the series before heading back to Denver.

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Nikola Jokic chose basketball over horse racing

Nikola Jokic chose basketball over horse racing. (Photo: IMAGN)

It's no secret that Nikola Jokic has loved horses since he was a kid growing up in Sombor, Serbia. It was a part of his life along with basketball, and he had to choose one to take seriously as a teenager. He made the right choice as he turned into one of the greatest players ever, while making millions of dollars.

Now, he can buy any horse he wants for his ranch back home in Serbia. He told Slam Magazine back in 2016 why he fell in love with horses before choosing to take basketball more seriously.

"Basketball was always in my life," Jokic said. "I had two older brothers who played basketball. I fell in love with basketball because of them. ... But then, at some point in my life, I started to go into horse racing. I just fell in love with horses and their beauty and elegance."

Jokic has said in multiple interviews that once he retires, he will focus on his horses and their races.