The magic of Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is born from the twinkle in his eyes, which light up with delightfully childlike glee the instant before he shares the basketball or spreads joy for life.
When this big Joker is twinkling, baby, he’s sees a game more beautiful than our fondest hoop dreams. And he burns hotter than the Suns.
“I think sometimes we take Nikola Jokic for granted,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Tuesday. “What he is doing is just incredible every single night.”
In a crucial NBA playoff game, Jokic killed Suns owner Mat Ishbia with kindness, then buried Phoenix with a triple-double in a 118-102 victory that put Denver one win away from advancing to the Western Conference finals.
We could talk about the 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists Jokic dropped on the Suns to set the record for most postseason triple-doubles by any center in the history of this league with 10. But grumpy old Kendrick Perkins doesn’t want to hear that noise.
“Must be stat-padding,” Malone cracked.
And to dwell on statistics would be to miss what makes Jokic such pure magic. Behind his smile is a mess-with-your-mind mischief and fierce competitiveness undetected by folks who dismiss the Nuggets center as a soft-rock star rather than a guy who bangs the drum until the roof caves in.
The Suns didn’t know it, but they were already no-hopers doomed to defeat nearly an hour before tipoff of this pivotal Game 5, which began with the best-of-seven series tied at two victories apiece.
Before Ball Arena filled with the passion of a crowd aching for the first championship in franchise history, Joker completed his preliminary warm-up and then headed to the Denver locker room. But on his way off the court, he recognized a familiar face and broke into a smile.
Seated at the baseline was Ishbia, the scrappy little point guard who grew up to be a billionaire and buy the Suns.
As you might recall, Ishbia and Jokic got into a bit of a kerfuffle during Game 4, when scrappy Ishbia clutched a basketball like his pearls, and the Nuggets center wrestled the franchise owner for the ball, then punctuated the brief confrontation with an elbow to a billionaire’s chest.
After being fined $25,000 by the NBA for getting physical with a billionaire, Jokic decided it was time to make peace, gently tossing a ball to Ishbia before offering him a friendly pre-game hug.
Jokic explained he was just trying to have “a little bit of fun.”
Why carry a grudge, when victory is the best revenge? Gotta love this Joker. What’s offering an olive branch to Ishbia say about him?
“He’s trying to get his 25 G’s back,” Malone said. “He ain’t no dummy.”
Right then and there, before the teams were introduced or the national anthem was sung, the Suns should’ve hopped a jet back to the Arizona desert, because the mischievous twinkle in the Joker’s eyes foreshadowed what was to come on this beautiful spring evening in Colorado.
Michael Porter Jr. shot out the lights, as the Nuggets raced to an early 15-point lead.
An aggressive Denver defense made Devin Booker and Kevin Durant appear more like mere humans than basketball gods, as the Suns superstar duo required 43 shots to score 53 points.
Jokic ended any semblance of suspense in the decisive third quarter, when the Nuggets outscored Phoenix 39-25, with 17 of those points supplied by their goofy but sneakily competitive center.
During the final minute of that third period, with the Nuggets ahead 89-69, Suns coach Monty Williams tried to gather his team for a quick strategy session prior to a free-throw attempt without calling a timeout.
With a twinkle in his eye, Jokic wandered into the Phoenix huddle alongside teammate Bruce Brown to troll the Suns. “It was just to see what they were drawing, just to see the play; I think that can help us a lot,” Joker deadpanned. “That’s just what I was doing.”
Durant did not find it one bit amusing, though. He shoved Jokic, who drew a technical foul with a dramatic flop that was reminiscent of what Ishbia had done to him barely 48 hours earlier.
The moral of this little story? The Joker who laughs last, laughs best. Behind those glowing eyes, Jokic is one salty mother-kerfuffler.
“He’s a little bit of a smart-(aleck), which I can appreciate,” Malone said.
In three NBA playoff games since Philadelphia center Joel Embiid was named the league’s most valuable player, Jokic has averaged 37 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists.
Is that any good?
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.
