Nikola Jokic recorded 35 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists, but the Denver Nuggets fell 117-108 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at Ball Arena.
Asked if the first two minutes of the second quarter determined the game, Jokic said, “Yeah, but we still had 24 minutes to do something. They had a run and even in the second half, third quarter, we kind of had momentum, but they still make a play or score when they needed and kept the lead the whole time.”
Jokic highlighted turnovers as a key factor. “Just not turn the ball over and that gave them so many easy, easy, easy looks. They had 20, we had 14 for 22 points, so that’s not good,” he said.
On defensive consistency, Jokic admitted, “When we didn’t make shots, we kind of stopped playing defense in those moments. Overall we played good, but three or four times during the game when they had the runs, we stopped playing defense and that cost us the game.”
The Nuggets’ injury challenges were another concern. Jokic reflected on missing Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson: “Just the size-wise, just defensive. They’re such good defensive players. We missed them on the defensive side more, especially against a team like Minnesota tonight.”
He also addressed the team’s current mindset. “I think it’s a good thing to happen. If you fail, it keeps you worried. You’re going to play a little bit harder and better,” Jokic said when asked about the locker room mood after dropping out of the top four in the West.
Jokic remains optimistic about the season. “Hopefully we have enough time left to find the best version of ourselves when we get healthy. We still didn’t have our full roster probably the whole season. We’re fighting, and we were in every game we played since the All-Star break,” he said.
Discussing his own performance, Jokic acknowledged areas for improvement: “When posting up and someone comes around late, I should go a little bit quicker. I took too much time and gave him opportunity to wait.”
On leadership, Jokic emphasized his approach: “If I see something or feel something that we can be better at, I’m going to say it. I’m not going to talk every day, but if it can change momentum, defense, or the game, I will say it.”
