Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic had an extra pep in his step as he uncharacteristically threw down a trifecta of dunks in their 128-97 drubbing of the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. After submitting his official mixtape for the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Jokic expressed wishful thinking that his audition could finally get him in.
Via Mike Singer of The Denver Post:
Asked Nikola Jokic whether he was auditioning for the dunk contest:
"Yeah, I wish."
— Mike Singer (@msinger) March 3, 2021
In case you missed it, this was one of Jokic's highlight jams during the night:
GET. OUT. OF. HIS. WAY. pic.twitter.com/9i0xDrzDyO
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 3, 2021
Meanwhile, not only is Jokic throwing down on people's heads, he also ran the break on a couple of those finishes:
Nikola Jokic has three dunks, including two fastbreak throwdowns, tonight. I'm very confident that's a new career-high. https://t.co/sow2T0LraJ
— Mike Singer (@msinger) March 3, 2021
It's definitely surprising whenever Nikola Jokic shows off his bounce. He may not jump too high, but as a 7-footer, this is more than enough for him to rise up and throw down a nasty one once in a while.
As for Jamal Murray, however, this is all within his expectations:
Jamal Murray, with a giant grin, on Nikola Jokic’s aerial assault:
“Nah, we expect that. … It makes the game fun. … Like when Facu tried to dunk. … We get up for eachother.”
— Mike Singer (@msinger) March 3, 2021
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone also gave his superstar center the stamp of approval if Jokic ever decides to compete in the Dunk Contest. Jokic should hope that Malone gets picked as one of the judges, since all the Serbian needs to do is make a layup to get a perfect 50 from his head coach:
Asked Michael Malone whether he’d like to see Nikola Jokic in the dunk contest: “Well, he’s gonna be down there. He might as well. I don’t think he’d win, but I’d give him a 50 if he just made the layup.”
— Mike Singer (@msinger) March 3, 2021
The Nuggets were definitely all smiles and having fun throughout Tuesday night. They absolutely mauled the Bucks en route to the 31-point blowout.
Nikola Jokic put up another virtuoso triple-double performance, dropping 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. And let's not forget his most important of the night: the three dunks.