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The Denver Nuggets are undoubtedly the underdog entering their second-round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But no one is daring to count them out of this series, as they have arguably the best player in the entire world in Nikola Jokic. Jokic is brilliant and can solve every kind of defense, but ever since the firing of Michael Malone, it seems as though the three-time MVP is wearing multiple hats for his team as they try to squeeze as much juice from the season as possible.
With the Nuggets fighting an uphill climb all night long, Jokic is fired up as he wants his team to perform as well as possible in their bid to steal Game 1 (and homecourt advantage) against the Thunder. When they were down by seven in the second quarter, the TNT broadcast showed a very animated Jokic leading the Nuggets' huddle.
An animated Nikola Jokic trying to get a message across to his team during this timeout during the Nuggets-Thunder game 🗣️pic.twitter.com/B1NMaaWt8K
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 6, 2025
When the Nuggets were on top of the world, Jokic wanted to show himself as a nonchalant man who, if given the choice, would simply go back to his hometown of Sombor in Serbia and tend to his beloved horses in his farm. But this is another evidence (among many) that Jokic cares very deeply and passionately about the game of basketball and he wants to win at all costs.
Jokic has noticeably been wearing his heart on his sleeve more and more in this year's playoffs. And as the old adage in hoops goes, teams take after the identity of their best player. And with the Nuggets having to overcome a late-season franchise shakeup, a lack of three-point shooting, and a lack of depth, it might be best for the entire team to heed whatever Jokic is teaching them.
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Nuggets fight uphill climb in Game 1
It's always going to be difficult for any team in today's NBA to win despite facing a considerable disadvantage in terms of production from beyond the arc. It hasn't helped the Nuggets whatsoever as well that the Thunder's role players, such as Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort, have been shooting the lights out from deep.
Coming off a grueling first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Nuggets may be feeling winded especially when they've been relying on mostly a seven-man rotation. The Thunder have been playing five-out basketball as well, forcing longer rotations all over the court, which could only exhaust Denver further. But they have remained within striking distance all night long, and this could be another long series in the making.
