The greatness of Nikola Jokic greatness is well documented.
Already regarded as one of the greatest players and centres of all time, the big Serbian has turned his lowly draft status into true superstardom. On his way to three NBA Most Valuable Player awards – and with more potentially still to come – Jokic has turned the once-rarefied triple-double into a nightly occurrence, combining sheer size with an unprecedented skill level, showing the world that even in the elite athletic environment of the NBA, decision-making and dexterity still rule supreme.
Put simply, he is brilliant. Normally.
In Game Three of the 2025 NBA Western Conference semi-finals series between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, though, Jokic was, by his own extremely high standards, bad. He committed eight turnovers and took 25 shots to score his 20 points, a strikingly inefficient performance in a pivotal Game Three in which his Nuggets team needed him the most.
But the Nuggets won anyway.
Thunder Defense Keyed In On Jokic
Of course, if Jokic put in a disjointed performance, it is because he was targeted for disruption.
The Thunder posted the best defence in the NBA over the regular season, and by quite some way. Their 106.6 defensive rating was a whole 2.5 points ahead of the second-placed Orlando Magic; for context, the gap from first to second was larger than the gap from second to seventh. From Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein in the paint to the persistent backcourt and wing unit of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso, the Thunder never seem to run out of disruptive influences, and combine positional versatility with good communication, decision-making and endless length.
It is a lot for anyone to contend with, even one of the world’s best like the Joker.
All told, Jokic scored 20 points to go with 16 rebounds and 6 assists in 42 minutes. When viewed like that, does not seem so bad. When viewed through the lens of himself, though, it was. Jokic shot 8-25 from the field and 0-10 from the three-point line (missing the most outside shots of his career), committed eight turnovers (the highest single-game total in his career), and had the worst true shooting percentage of his career as well.
Over his last six games, Jokic – usually, the model of efficiency and reliability – has been below-par on offence in four of them. His 22.2 points per game scoring average in that span has come on a mere .500 true shooting percentage, and he has recorded more than five turnovers a night as well. What he has done in that span, though, is play his role on defence; clear the glass, communicate, and defend the spot he is standing in. And it has been the Nuggets’ excellent team defence that has seen them win three of those four bad Joker nights.
Nuggets Defense Had His Back
They may have only been a lowly 21st in the NBA in defensive rating during the regular season – mired between the wet blankets proffered by the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings respectively – and in the postseason as a whole, they have still ranked only 12th of 16 teams. But in the series against the playoffs, the Nuggets have found another gear on the unglamorous end.
Gone is the excessive jogging back on defence. In its wake comes a more focused team effort, and an obvious strategic approach particularly evident in the clutch moments – “anyone but Shai”. Shading multiple defenders at the Thunder’s superstar far above the break results in the Thunder being unable to get into the mid-range and paint areas as often as usual, and with Jokic cleaning the glass on the resultant jump shot attempts at the rate that he has been, the Nuggets have been winning the match-up battle, and therefore, the series.
The Nuggets have led for a mere 11% of the time in the series. But fuelled by their defense in the clutch, that 11% has come at the most important times.
“I was the worst player on the court today but we won the game and that’s most important.”
– Nikola Jokic
Clearly, Jokic has not been at his best. The Thunder have played him physically, double-teamed regularly and hacked away at his arms, as should be expected when it comes to NBA playoff defence. But in his own words, the win is the most important thing. And with his teammates picking up the slack on the defensive end in a way that did not look likely at all up until this point of the season, the Nuggets now have a 2-1 series lead and home court advantage. With defence like this, an “anyone but Jokic” strategy is not enough.
Nikolc Jokic Plays Career-Worst Game; Nuggets Win Anyway