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DENVER — After Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander closed out the Denver Nuggets in Game 4, Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein reflected on his history with Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic. Hartenstein played 30 games in his lone season in Denver — a short but productive stint for the then 22-year-old center who was Jokic's understudy.
In 2020-21, Hartenstein says Jokic helped develop his passing game, which has grown exponentially since then.
“In general, he helped me a lot. I have a lot of respect for him. A lot of respect [for] how he approaches each day,” Hartenstein said. “I think, passing-wise, he helped me take another step. Before, I was a good passer, but now I'm one of the best big passers in the league, and he took me to another level just with the details of how to get guys open. How to get guys open with your eyes, knowing when someone's open, even when maybe he doesn't seem open, if that kind of makes sense.
“So, he helped a lot in that aspect and was always very open to any question I had. So, I have a lot of respect for him for doing that,” Hartenstein concluded.
Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein says limiting Jokic's offense throughout the Western Conference semifinal series involves making physical and mental adjustments.
“It's a mixture. I think more mental,” Hartenstein replied. “I think any playoff series, just the mental aspect of it of hey, I'm going to be disciplined. Every time we have a game plan, I'm going to stick with it, especially with a guy like him. He'll make a step-back fade-away shot where you're like, ‘how did that go in?' but you have to mentally just be OK with it, knowing that this is the shot you want him to take. And he's going to make tough shots.”
Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets will look to bounce back in Game 5 on Tuesday.
Chet Holmgren's injury update after Thunder win Game 4
Thunder forward Chet Holmgren provided an injury update after Game 4. Holmgren took an elbow to the head in the fourth quarter and addressed his recovery during media availability.
“I’m good. I caught one, and it stung pretty bad, but it didn’t rattle my head too much. So, I’m good,” Holmgren said. “And it’s big. That’s a must-win game right there. It wasn’t pretty on either side. But, at the end of the day, you got to figure out how to come away with a win. We didn’t do that two times already in this series. So, it’s good to be able to do that tonight.”
