By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following a frustrating loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at Ball Arena on Monday, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic pointed to a lack of execution on the glass as the team’s main downfall. The Serbian superstar noted that while his side had solid defensive sequences, they failed to secure the ball when it mattered.
“Of course, offensive rebounds were a big issue for us,” he said during his postgame press conference. “Fifty-fifty balls, I feel like we were always like there, but not quite there.”
“We had a couple really good possessions, a bunch of really good defensive possessions, and then we just didn’t grab the rebound. And they get the offensive rebound, one or two, and they get more opportunity to score,” added Jokic.
Portland’s late surge shifted the momentum for good. The 31-year-old center explained that giving away extra possessions is dangerous against modern NBA offenses, especially with teams shooting so heavily from deep. “The league is so talented that you cannot give the other team so many possessions,” he stressed.
At 3–3 to start the 2026–27 NBA Regular Season, Jokic was asked about the team’s new identity. “I think when we’re playing good, it’s really good, and when we’re playing bad, it’s really bad,” he observed. “We cannot find consistency.”
Hoping to fix these wild swings, the team coached by David Adelman stays at Ball Arena to resume action against the Toronto Raptors and Serbian head coach Darko Rajakovic on Wednesday.
Make 
Your Preferred Basketball Source.
Add Eurohoops to Google