Nikola Jokic recorded 35 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but the Denver Nuggets fell 117-108 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at Ball Arena.
When asked if the first two minutes of the second quarter defined the game, Jokic said: “Yes, but we still had 24 minutes to do something. They had a point and even in the second half, the third quarter, we had some kind of momentum, but they still made a play or scored when they needed to and kept the lead the whole time.”
Jokic highlighted turnovers as a key factor. “Just not turning the ball over and that gave them so many easy, easy looks. They had 20, we had 14 for 22 points, so that’s not good,” he said.
On defensive consistency, Jokic admitted, “When we weren’t making shots, we stopped defending in those moments. Overall we played well, but three or four times during the game when they had the points, we stopped defending and that cost us the game.”
Another area of concern was the Nuggets’ injury challenges. Jokic reflected on missing Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson: “Just size-wise, just defensively. They’re such good defensive players. We missed them more on the defensive end, especially tonight against a team like Minnesota.”
He also spoke about the team’s current mentality. “I think it’s a good thing to happen. When you fail, you’re still worried. You’re going to play a little harder and better,” Jokic said when asked about the mood in the locker room after falling out of the top four in the West.
Jokic remains optimistic about the season. “Hopefully we have enough time left to find the best version of ourselves when we get healthy. We probably still didn’t have our full roster all season. We’re battling, and we were in every game we played since the All-Star break,” he said.
Jokic discussed his own performance and acknowledged areas for improvement: “If someone posts and someone is late, I have to go a little faster. I took too much time and gave him the opportunity to wait.”
On leadership, Jokic emphasized his approach: “If I see or feel something that we can get better at, I’m going to say it. I’m not going to talk every day, but if the momentum, the defense or the game can change, I will say it.”
#Nikola #Jokic #Nuggets #struggles #leadership #Timberwolves #loss #TalkBasket.net