Most teams are so desperate for players like that they run them into the ground. There's a reason the Warriors are now starting both along with their three entrenched superstars. Jordan Poole is inching in that direction. Strength in numbersĪndrew Wiggins is making the maximum salary. If anything, Denver should commit to him as its primary backup center right away. But Cousins has proven that he shouldn't have to wait until midseason to get a job next year. There are matchups where he won't be able to play at all. But in Cousins, they have the closest facsimile they could possibly ask for out of a minimum salary, a playmaking center that they can run offense through and who can pound mismatches. The Nuggets are built around Jokic's unique gifts. He's a very specific player at this stage of his career, but that specificity is very valuable to Denver.
GOLDEN STATE VS DENVER NUGGETS TICKETS SERIES
For the series as a whole, the Nuggets actually won the minutes Cousins played by three. Once again, Denver kept pace in the non-Jokic minutes. He was at his best in Game 5, scoring 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting to keep Denver afloat in the minutes Jokic had to rest. Afterward? That fell to just 38 points in 662 minutes.
Before Cousins arrived in January, the Nuggets were outscored by 217 points in the 823 minutes they'd played without Jokic. He may no longer be a 30-minute player and his defense can border on disastrous, but the numbers don't lie. That much was apparent from the moment he signed. The NBA has essentially discarded a 31-year-old former All-Star.īut as this series has proven, Cousins still has a place in the league. He's been on four teams in the past two years alone, and didn't even start this season on a roster. In that span, he has somehow managed to play for the Curry-era Warriors, LeBron James Lakers, James Harden Rockets, Kawhi Leonard Clippers, Giannis Antetokounmpo Bucks and Jokic Nuggets … without ever winning a championship. The last four seasons have not been kind to DeMarcus Cousins. If his team can match Curry's next season, then this could be one of the best series of the 2023 postseason. Even under the circumstances, Jokic stared down a top-15 player of all time in Stephen Curry and was every bit his equal. They couldn't carry him the final few steps they needed to tonight, and their season ended as a result.īut if these teams meet again next season, with Murray and Porter back in the fold and perhaps a few upgrades scattered among the rest of the roster, don't be surprised if the result is different. Jokic carried the Nuggets as far as he possibly could. You could not possibly ask for a better encapsulation of his season. Aside from Monte Morris' garbage-time layup, Jokic was the only Nugget to score in the last eight minutes and six seconds of the game. Instead, he not only returned, he dominated. If he hadn't played another minute the rest of the night, his offseason rest would have been well-earned. He left the game with a hamstring injury. He couldn't carry his teammates any longer. But with his season on the line on Wednesday, his body finally broke. He staved off a sweep in Game 4 with a 37-point explosion. A team that had no business sniffing the playoffs managed to earn a No. and Jamal Murray, had to carry the Nuggets to a historic degree this season. Jokic, playing virtually the entire season without star teammates Michael Porter Jr. The phrasing was perhaps a bit odd considering their opponents from Golden State, but the sentiment was felt through the end of the game, and really, the entire season. "The guy is the definition of a warrior," Malone said of the reigning MVP. When Nuggets head coach Mike Malone addressed the media after Game 5, he had nothing but praise for Nikola Jokic. He may be a Nugget, but he's also a warrior Here are the biggest takeaways from Game 5. The Warriors advance to face the winner between the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves. Jokic finished with 30 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists in the loss. However, Denver fell short in forcing a Game 6 and extending its postseason. Michael Malone's Nuggets have had success in the past in elimination games and even overcoming 3-1 series holes. They're also now 16-1 all-time when holding a 3-1 series lead - the lone loss came in the 2016 Finals.
The Warriors clamped down on the Nuggets' offense late, holding them to just 20 points in the fourth and improved to 20-8 in closeout games under Steve Kerr. Stephen Curry finished with a team-high 30 points, while Gary Payton II came up big in the fourth quarter. The Golden State Warriors are moving on to the Western Conference semifinals after beating Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets 102-98 in Game 5 to clinch their first-round series.
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