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Denver Nuggets All-Star big man Nikola Jokic expects Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs to throw “everything” at him defensively.
The Nuggets and Spurs face each other in the first round of the playoffs. Jokic is Denver's best player, so you know Popovich has an elaborate gameplan to stop the center from dominating the series.
Jokic says he expects #Spurs to throw "everything" at him defensively: "I expect them to play straight up. I expect them to maybe be small on me and then maybe come with a big guy. I expect really everything." pic.twitter.com/D37CEwRrva
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) April 12, 2019
Jokic put up 16.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the four regular season games against the Spurs. The Nuggets went 2-2 versus San Antonio.
This is the first time Jokic will be playing in the postseason. In fact, only power forward Paul Millsap and combo guard Will Barton have playoff experience from Denver's starting lineup. The Spurs, meanwhile, are filled with players who have been to the postseason several times.
Jokic is coming off a stellar season for the Nuggets, who are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. In 80 regular season games, Jokic averaged 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest while shooting 51.1 percent from the field, 30.7 percent from beyond the arc and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Jokic recorded 56 double-doubles and 12 triple-doubles. He has established himself as one of the top players in the NBA. Now, we'll have to see how the 24-year-old reacts to playoff basketball, because the postseason is a different animal than the regular season.
