In a stunning display of triple-double dominance, Nikola Jokic propelled the Denver Nuggets to a commanding 119-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
Jokic’s remarkable performance, which included 32 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists, showcased his unparalleled versatility on the court, leaving the Warriors struggling to contain his brilliance.
Draymond Green, tasked with the challenging assignment of guarding the two-time MVP, candidly acknowledged his struggles against Jokic’s relentless onslaught.
Speaking on The Draymond Green Show, the four-time NBA champion reflected on his difficult matchup against Jokic, admitting, “Joker, 32, 16, and 16 gave me complete hell tonight.
“I’ve had my fair share of good matchups against Joker. I’ve given him a little bit of hell on some nights, but he gave me total and complete hell tonight. And I had absolutely no answers. And I’m just going to laugh about it because either you laugh or you cry. So I’m going to laugh about it.”
Green praised Jokic’s exceptional physical conditioning, noting, “I had absolutely no answers tonight. He was brilliant. He is in incredible shape, man. Y’all should have seen this man running the floor. I had to take turn on my burners a little bit a couple of times to keep up with him from running the floor. And he was just going, man. It wasn’t he got tired. He was just going and going.”
Acknowledging Jokic’s sportsmanship, Green recalled a moment during the game when they exchanged words after a collision, highlighting the mutual respect between the two players.
“And man, shoutout to Joker. It’s always fun playing against him,” he said. “I got a lot of respect for Joker, always have. I love the way he goes about his business. Obviously a great basketball player.
“And Joker caught me with the shoulder in the chin and they didn’t call offensive foul and I wrapped him up and he was coming back down the court and he was like, brate that was definitely a foul. He was like, ‘100% a foul. But I didn’t try to do on purpose.’
“And I’m like, ‘No, I know you didn’t try to on purpose, which is why I didn’t foul you hard and just kind of wrapped you up because I know you didn’t try it on purpose.'”
While Green’s defensive efforts fell short against Jokic’s brilliance, he emphasized the valuable learning experience gained from competing against one of the game’s elite talents.
“I love playing against the guys where there’s mutual respect of like the work. So I always enjoy the honor of playing against Joker, a guy that I got a tremendous amount of respect for,” he said.
“You got to love playing against the greats to see how you stack up and you learn from it. that you put in, the work that I put in. There’s a healthy competition and that’s. And like I said, tonight he get to the absolute best of me and they won the game. But I had no answers, zero answers tonight.”
