Jokic challenges the Cavaliers
In the small-ball era, the center dominates the MVP rankings, Jokic and Embiid, coupled with the recent limelight of Towns, and the alphabet brother who is actually standing in the fifth position, the individual performance of these players is jaw-dropping. These players are dominant on the field, but Jokic is a bit out of the ordinary because the way he takes over the game is not by physical talent, but by unparalleled passing. Under his leadership, the Nuggets are still sixth in the West despite being plagued by injuries.
In this game, the Nuggets will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that is very good defensively and the dark horse of the East this season, ranking sixth in the East. However, in this game, the Cavaliers' starting center Allen could not play because of a finger injury, which is undoubtedly good news for Jokic.
Extra time is a winner and loser
Jokic only had 2 shots in the first quarter, hit all of them, and had 4 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, which can be said to be confident. Gordon stepped up and had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists on 5-of-9 shooting, and the team scored 29 points in a single quarter, but the Cavaliers exploded for 31 points, including Markkanen with 10 points and 5 rebounds, Garland with 8 points and 4 assists, and Mobley with 6 points and 3 rebounds. After returning from the second quarter, the Nuggets began to exert their strength, Jokic had 8 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist on 4-of-5 shooting, Cousins on the bench had 8 points and 3 rebounds, and the team exploded for 34 points in a single quarter.
Faced with the Nuggets' sudden rise, the Cavaliers appeared to be in a bit of a hurry, scoring only 21 points in a single quarter. So, at the end of the half, the Denver Nuggets led the Cavaliers by as many as 11 points 63-52. In the second half, Jokic shot 4 of 6 and had 10 points and 2 rebounds, but there were no assists, so the Nuggets only scored 24 points in a single quarter, but fortunately, the Cavaliers only scored 26 points, and the point difference was only narrowed to 9 points. After returning from the final quarter, the Nuggets were caught in a scoring drought, the Cavaliers directly countered with a wave of 13-2 offense, Jokic carried the team, and Markkanen made two free throws to tie again. After Jokic missed three points, the two teams drew 107-107 into overtime.
In overtime, the Diggers began to have the upper hand, but Mobley scored five consecutive points, Markkanen also hit three points, and the Cavaliers completed the rebound with a wave of 8-0 attack. Jokic's key layup retained suspense, but Mobley also had a layup, and Hyland missed a three-pointer, and the Cavaliers narrowly beat the Nuggets 119-116 in overtime.
The dark horse in the east is unreasonable
Jokic's personal performance is still impeccable, playing 37 minutes, shooting 15 of 24, with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists of the quasi-triple-double data, the only deficiency is probably that the three-point shot is 4 of 0. However, Jokic has done his best, but he is still helpless. Gordon had 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Hyland 17 points, three rebounds and seven assists, Cousins 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists, Jeff Green and Barton both had 10 points, but Morris had only 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists on 1-of-4 shooting.
The Cavaliers once again showed the strength of the dark horse in the East, Markkanen ushered in an outbreak, 11 of 18 shooting, 6 of 12 three-point shooting, 31 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals, and Mobley also had 27 points and 11 rebounds, not at all like a rookie player. Garland is still as solid as ever, with 25 points, 4 rebounds and 14 assists, and he has become a qualified star. Love on the bench had 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and LeVert also had 10 points, four rebounds and four assists.