Nikola Jokic, the player for the Denver Nuggets, spoke at a press conference following their 99:106 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Denver Nuggets didn’t start the NBA playoffs series off well. The reigning champions lacked a proper response to the Timberwolves’ bench contribution, which was evident with every substitution of the starters. However, Nikola Jokic had nothing but praise for the opponent and Anthony Edwards after the game.
“He’s a special player, I have huge respect for him. He can do everything on the floor. You need to enjoy and respect your opponent just how good and talented he is. It was him in the first half, he scored like 20-something in the first half. Then it was KAT, Mike Conley had some big points. Naz Reid had an amazing fourth quarter, and, of course, Ant had a big fourth quarter, too. They are a very talented team, that’s why they were the no. 1 seed for most of the year.
It’s not just about Rudy Gobert in defense. They have a couple of guys that rotate. They’re long, they’re physical, they’re making you make or take tough shots. And not just that. They know what they’re doing in pick-and-roll, they put a lot of good defenders on Jamal Murray and Reggie Jackson in pick-and-roll. They’re a really good team.”
The journalists were curious about Denver Nuggets’ plan to respond in the upcoming matches, especially regarding their outstanding big men, and the Serbian player’s response amused everyone present.
“To have a duplicate clone of myself, and then I can be fresh. When they sub another guy, I’m gonna be fresh. I don’t know, really. That’s why they’re good – they can play big, they can play small, they can put a lot of guys, and they’re long, physical, rebound very well, they’re aggressive. I’m satisfied with the shots that I took. Some of them I missed, some of them I made. It’s a tough game, and they are a really good defensive team.”