Nikola Jokić’s dominance
This season, Jokić definitely finished top-10 in MVP voting due to his career numbers: 20.1 ppg (29th), 8 rpg (12th), and 7.3 apg (9th).
During the regular season, Jokić was also able to finish 16th in offensive rebounds (2.9), and 11th in defensive rebounds (as mentioned above), which will be easier for him without Nurk in the paint throughout the series.
In the three games Jokić played against the Blazers during the regular season, he averaged 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, eight assists on 62 FG% in 35.3 minutes played per game. Keep in mind that this fantastic line was produced with Nurk on the floor.
In his best game against the Blazers, he scored his regular season career-high 40 points alongside 10 rebounds, 8 eight assists, on an insane 15/23 from the field and a game-best plus/minus of 15.
In the Nuggets’ first round series against the Spurs, Jokić averaged 23.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 9.1 assists, on 48.8 FG% in 37.3 minutes per game. Saying that his postseason debut series was productive is an understatement. Jokić will continue having a field day in the paint against the Blazers. Moreover, the main reason the Nuggets were expected to struggle against the Spurs is due to their advantage in coaching and playoff experience.
Considering that the Joker was able to post three career-high stats on offense against the Spurs in seven games, he is poised to have another exceptional series.