Even though Nikola Jokić once again showed why he is considered the best basketball player on the planet, his Denver team failed to avoid defeat. In a duel full of momentum shifts, the Sacramento Kings took control in the final minutes and celebrated a 128:123 victory.
Jokić practically single-handedly kept the Nuggets in the game. He dominated throughout the entire matchup and finished with an incredible 44 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.
In the final quarter, he completely ignited Denver’s offense – scoring from all positions (20 points in the fourth), taking over every possession, and keeping his team on the verge of a comeback.
However, a brilliant individual performance wasn’t enough.
The key man for the Kings was Russell Westbrook, who played arguably his best game of the season against his former team.
He scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, practically single-handedly neutralized Jokić’s surge, and finished the duel with 21 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds.
Alongside him, Dennis Schröder stood out with 21 points and seven assists, while Keegan Murray and DeMar DeRozan contributed 19 and 17 points respectively.
Such an ending shocked many, knowing that Westbrook rarely displayed performances like this last season in a Denver jersey.
On the other side, aside from Jokić, only Jamal Murray with 23 points and nine assists and Cam Johnson with 20 points managed to stand out, but Denver couldn’t find a way to respond to Sacramento’s impressive offensive run in the final stretch.
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Source: Nova; Foto: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images