‘If we were in Serbia we would all be fired’: Jokić’s Nuggets crash out in first round of playoffs | NBA
Three years after Nikola Jokić led the Denver Nuggets to the NBA championship, the pinnacle seemed agonizingly distant for the Mile High City team and three-time MVP award winner.
Ousted in six games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round playoff series, the Nuggets trudged into the offseason with many questions to answer about their ability to remain a true title contender in the Western Conference. For the first time in four years, Denver failed to make it to May.
“We just lost in the first round, so I think we’re far away,” said Jokić, who had 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in Thursday night’s 110-98 loss to the host Timberwolves.
Four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert skillfully neutralized Jokić during the series. Jokić has found rhythm and spark in the last two games, but his sidekick Jamal Murray has had a difficult series. The first-time All-Star, who played in 75 games during the regular season for his most in eight years, was also stifled by Minnesota bad guy Jaden McDaniels. Murray made just 4 of 17 from the field with a league-worst mark of minus-18.
Jokić, who will begin his 12th season in the league in 2026-27, can sign another maximum contract extension this summer. He didn’t hesitate when asked about his interest in honoring his commitment.
“I still want to be the Nuggets forever,” he said.
Coach David Adelman doesn’t have the same security, having completed his first full year in the role. Are there any changes coming to Denver?
“It’s not my decision,” Jokić said. “Certainly, if we were in Serbia, we would all be fired.”
But more seriously, the Joker has redoubled his support for Adelman.
“It’s not his fault we couldn’t rebound. It’s not his fault we couldn’t catch the ball very well. There’s nothing to blame David Adelman. It was all of us,” Jokić said.
McDaniels had 32 points and 10 rebounds and Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points for the injury-ravaged Timberwolves. With their top three guards missing due to injuries, Minnesota went big with Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid fueling a 64-40 advantage in points in the paint and a 50-33 advantage in rebounding.
Minnesota, seeded No. 6 in the Western Conference, will begin the second round in San Antonio on Monday. The second-seeded Spurs beat Portland in five games in their first-round series.
New York Knicks 140-89 Atlanta Hawks
OG Anunoby scored 29 points in 27 minutes, Karl-Anthony Towns had his second triple-double of the series and the New York Knicks earned their biggest playoff victory in franchise history, crushing and eliminating the host Atlanta Hawks 140-89 in Game 6.
The Knicks broke several NBA records at halftime. Their 40-15 lead at the end of the first quarter marked the largest of the shot clock era. Their 47-point halftime lead was the largest in playoff history.
It was New York’s third straight victory after falling to 1-2 in the series following consecutive one-point losses. The 51-point victory was the sixth-largest margin of victory in NBA playoff history.
“The fact that we were able to bounce back from two disappointing losses says a lot about our team,” Towns said. “We had the challenge of being late in the series – we’re very proud of our guys for that.”
Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and Knicks center Mitchell Robinson were ejected after scrambling following two Anunoby free throws that gave the Knicks a 50-point lead in the second quarter.
New York surpassed 100 points with 8:21 left in the third quarter. Their starters were done for the night with 2:45 left in the third. The Knicks will face the winner of the Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers series in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Boston Celtics 93-106 Philadelphia 76ers
Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points, a resurgent Paul George had 23 points and a 76ers team that lost by 32 points twice in this first-round playoff series played its most complete game of the season and forced Game 7 with a 106-93 victory over the visiting Boston Celtics. The decisive match will take place on Saturday in Boston.
The only team in NBA history to win a playoff series after losing two games by more than 30 points was the 1959 Minneapolis Lakers against the St. Louis Hawks.
Enhanced by Joel Embiid’s early return from an appendectomy, the Sixers bounced back from two blowout losses to win Game 5 in Boston and were buoyed by a comeback effort from George to never trail in Game 6. Embiid did his part with 19 points.
Brown was hampered by three fouls in the first half and finished with 18 points. Jayson Tatum, who missed most of the season with a ruptured Achilles, had 17 points for the Celtics. He left briefly in the third quarter for unspecified treatment of an apparent calf injury.
The Celtics went more than four minutes without scoring a point to close out the third and the Sixers broke into the final quarter with an 82-63 lead.
