By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In the first game after firing head coach Michael Malone, the Denver Nuggets beat the Sacramento Kings, 124-116, in Golden 1 Center.
“They woke us up,” Nikola Jokic mentioned in a postgame interview with ESPN, “We need to be woken before the Playoffs. I think if we are in there, we can mess things up. We can fight and play with everybody.”
“Where I come from, it’s part of the sport. People come and go, but it was a ten-year relationship with the coach, and we went through everything. We were bad. We were good. We won a championship. We have some great memories, but it’s part of the business,” added the Serbian superstar.
On Wednesday, the native of Sombor recorded his 33rd triple-double in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season. He ended up with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, alongside four steals.
👀🗣 Nikola Jokic speaks out for the first time since Coach Malone’s firing! pic.twitter.com/o1PMhpQETm
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) April 10, 2025
“People say that we are vulnerable, but I think the beast is always at its strongest, the most dangerous, when it’s vulnerable,” he warned, looking into the 2025 Playoffs presented by Google.
Both European teammates, Slovenian Vlatko Cancar and Croatian Dario Saric, stayed on the bench for the first outing under interim head coach David Adelman.
“I just wanted to say what I saw. I think it helped us. I think it will help us in a couple of situations. So, whenever I see something, I’m going to say it,” Jokic talked about coaching his teammates and drawing plays during timeouts.
Nikola Jokic, new Nuggets head coach? 😅 pic.twitter.com/Wt2WHTFjPU
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) April 10, 2025
In the wrong end, Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis produced a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double plus two assists and one block. Coming off the bench, fellow Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas paired two points with two rebounds.
Another Balkan triple-double beyond Jokic was from Ivica Zubac, opening his individual tally with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and ten assists. The Croatian center added one steal, helping the Los Angeles Clippers take down the Houston Rockets, 134-117, and pick up a sixth straight win.
What a year Ivica Zubac is having! 🔥💪
He just recorded his first career triple double! 👏 pic.twitter.com/SsmNapUeKx
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) April 10, 2025
French teammate Nicolas Batum squeezed in 15 points and three rebounds in nine minutes before exiting with right groin soreness. Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic threw in 16 points, five assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
On the opposite end, Turkish Alperen Sengun (lower back soreness) was ruled out for the game in Intuit Dome.
Photo Credit: Getty Images