By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Denver Nuggets are heading to Game 1 of a best-of-seven series versus the Los Angeles Lakers. It is a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals featuring a four-game sweep for Nikola Jokic and his teammates en route to being crowned NBA champions for the first time in franchise history.
“I think every game in the playoff series was really tough, it could have gone either way. It was probably the toughest series we had,” recalled the Serbian superstar after team practice on Thursday, “We beat them 4-0, but they’re a really talented team. Well-built, they have a couple of guys. I have huge respect for them and I think it’ll be an interesting series.”
On the first installment of NBA Sundays of the 2024 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel, the Joker matches up with LeBron James once more as the Nuggets host Game 1 in Ball Arena.
“The guy is amazing,” mentioned Jokic, “He’s in the game in so many different ways, not just scoring. He can score from any position basically. He’s a monster. I really appreciate him. I really respect him. I think he’s a very good basketball player, probably one of the best. I really respect him and enjoy playing against the best.”
Building a bid for a third season MVP award, the native of Sombor put up 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.9 blocks per contest over 79 games played in the 2023-24 Regular Season.