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Nikola Jokic has been playing out of his mind for the past five seasons. During that span, he has won back-to-back MVPs, finished second to Joel Embiid, and is again the top contender for the same award this season. For good measure, he won the championship and was named the 2023 NBA Finals MVP. He has arguably not played badly in back-to-back games during that stretch.
In the loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday, the Serbian finished with a triple-double but was inefficient with his shots. He was 9-32, including 2-7 from deep. Some fans blamed him for the loss.
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Usually, “The Joker” bounces back with vengeance in his next game. In the first half against the Houston Rockets, he couldn’t do his routine, prompting fans to react:
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“Jokic linsanity run over”
Nikola Jokic ended the first half against the Rockets with three points, hitting just 1-10 shots. He also had two turnovers and uncharacteristically played out of rhythm versus Houston’s young but talented team. Friday’s first half may be his worst in five seasons with the Denver Nuggets.
The “Linsanity” reference made by one of the fans was a nod to former NBA player Jeremy Lin. He once had a legendary stretch where he became arguably the league’s most exciting star. However, he fizzled out and couldn’t sustain his impressive performance.
The comparison isn’t accurate. Nikola Jokic has accomplished so much more and has already built a Hall of Fame-worthy resume. Not many will bet against “The Joker” in the playoffs. He may have a few bad games, but he’s not going anywhere as long as he is healthy.
The Nuggets trailed by 52-48 heading into the halftime break despite Jokic’s bad-shooting night. Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took up the scoring void for their two-time MVP.
Nikola Jokic and Denver Nuggets have been struggling against Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets hold a 2-1 edge against the Denver Nuggets in their season series. At the end of the third quarter of Friday’s game, the Rockets have a 92-74 advantage. If Houston can keep Denver at bay, they’ll decisively win the head-to-head matchup.
Nikola Jokic was more productive in the third quarter. He had nine points, but the Rockets have been hitting on all cylinders. They outscored the Nuggets 40-26 to grab an 18-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes of the game.
Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet have done most of the damage. Sengun, in particular, is putting on a Jokic-like performance. He now has 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Incredibly enough, he has played better than the reigning NBA Finals MVP.
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