On a night when he wasn’t at his best, Nikola Jokic lifted it up when the Denver Nuggets needed him most. In Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday, Jokic exploded in the fourth quarter to help the Nuggets win 119-108 and take a 3-0 series lead.
After struggling through the first three quarters, Jokic caught fire late in a close game, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets pulled away for the win.
Heading into the fourth, Jokic was playing with four fouls and only had nine points, shooting 4-of-12 from the field. However, he was nearly perfect in the final segment, hitting 5 of 7 field goal attempts for 15 points.
Jokic finished with 24 points while also dropping eight rebounds, which put him in historic company. according to ESPN stats and infoJokic joined Hall of Famer Oscar Roberston (1961-1962) as the second player in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 800 assists in a single season, including the regular season and playoffs.
While speaking with reporters after Denver’s massive win, coach Michael Malone called Jokic “trainerrevealing that the multi-time MVP called plays for the Nuggets down the stretch.
Jokic may have shut out Game 3, but his supportive team made it possible by picking a team captain early on. Jamal Murray had another great game, scoring 37 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Meanwhile, fellow freshmen Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Michael Porter Jr. scored a combined 31 points and Bruce Brown scored 15 off the bench.
On the other hand, the Lakers, losing 3-0, face a nearly impossible hill to climb. While no team in the NBA has ever overcome a deficit in the postseason, the Lakers have barely put up a fight, never Win a game in a series after losing 3-0.