Nikola Jokic and Will Barton’s performances allowed Denver Nuggets to beat top seed Golden State Warriors.
Denver Nuggets defies all the odds and defeated NBA top seed Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Nikola Jokic had a game-winning performance with 22 points, 18 Rebounds, 5 Assists, and 4 steals. Will Barton had also a great game scoring 21 points and 4 rebounds in the game.
Barton’s play in the last minute of the game, where he scored 4 points and grabbed 2 offensive rebounds after a tie game at 84-84. Also, Nikola Jokic’s two-handed block on Kuminga closed the door for possible extra time play.
Coach Malone was ecstatic about the performance and showered praises on his team. He singled out two stars performers – Jokic and Barton mentioning their plays at the last minute of the game. He said, “I couldn’t be more proud of our guys, I thought Will Barton, down the stretch, made a couple of big, big plays.”
On superstar Jokic, Malone mentioned, “Nikola having 18 rebounds, 22 points and making a key, key play down the stretch is why he’s a great player. You need those types of plays to pull out wins like this.”
Denver Nuggets played most of the season without their play-maker Jamal Murray. Also, some influential players like P.J Dozier and Michael Porter Jr sidelined for a whole season after playing a handful of matches with the team.
Will Barton, Aaron Gordon, and Jeff Green had provided some flashes of inspirational plays for the Nuggets. It allowed them to keep up pace with other playoff aspiring teams. Currently, Denver has a 17-16 record in the West and occupies 6th place in the conference.
Reigning KIA MVP player, Nikola Jokic is a consistent and dominant performer for the team. He leads the team in every department of the game, averaging 25.8 points, 14 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.
Western Conference top-performing teams like Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Utah Jazz have a clear-cut advantage over other competitors for a playoff spot. It leaves 3 spots for a confirmed post-season appearance.
Other teams like Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Mavericks have provided strong competition for 4th to 6th place. Recent wins against Clippers and Warriors will give some confidence and most importantly improved record against the Western Conference teams. Denver team will be a force to reckon with once they have their complete roster available with them. It can possibly cause a playoff upset and reach till conference finals. We as NBA fans will be looking forward to having healthy competitive games.
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