We’ve just witnessed Nikola Jokic‘s worst three-game shootings of his entire career, and it is happening precisely when his team needs him the most, during the Western Conference semifinal series against the NBA’s No. 1 seed. After losing Game 4, the Serbian explained the reasons behind his poor displays.
Even though, the Nuggets big man ended the contest with 27 points, he was 7-of-22 from the floor and even missed a pair of free throw with 3 minutes remaining until the final buzzer. The three-time MVP has now shot 21-of-63 (33.3%) in the past three matches.
This is the first time in his career in which he’s shot worse than 40% with at least 15 shots in three-straight performances. “It’s a little bit of everything,” he said on Sunday. “They’re playing really good defense on me. They’re really into my body, physical. I think I missed two or three open looks night, so it’s a little bit of everything.”
The star center not only blamed himself, but praised Oklahoma City‘s defense. “They’re shrinking the floor on me. They’re having a guy behind the defender, so it’s a bit of everything. I need to do a better job, of course, but it’s part of the game,” Nikola assured after falling to defeat last night.
On the other hand, his fellow MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, finally was able to finish strong in clutch during these semifinal series. The Canadian superstar sunk three buckets in the final 4:36 of Game 4, rallying back from an 8-point deficit.
“I always feel like those are the moments where the guy on the team earns his buck,” expressed Gilgeous-Alexander after scoring 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting. “You earn your money [when] you close games, you win games, and that’s what everything’s about.”
He then added: “And the later you go into season — the better the teams, the closer the games — you need to rise to the occasion.” Jokic was only 2-of-7 from the floor and 1-of-4 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, as the Colorado club blew their lead in the final minutes.
