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DENVER – The San Antonio Spurs have limited Denver star Nuggets Nikola Jokic to 9 attempts and 10 points with double teams on time in the first game. However, Jokic became the fourth player to record a triple-double in his first playoff game, adding 14 rebounds. and 14 assists in Saturday's 101-96 defeat against the Spurs.
While his team is about to lose 0-2 to start this best-of-seven series, Jokic's recall to his triple-doubles debut may need to include more points, as the Nuggets seek to release their big player All-Star for more baskets in Game 2 Tuesday. San Antonio expects Denver to be creative against Jokic's double-team, who scored 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 15.1 shots per game this season .
"You say that Jokic did a bad game – he had a triple-double," said Spurs striker Rudy Gay before training San Antonio Monday at the University of Denver. "He had a lot of shots for a lot of players, bounced back and also scored a bit, and we still have the feeling that he can play better, so our work is not over with him.
"He can influence a game in different ways – he obviously had 10 points, [but] he will not always score 10 points. So we have to get ready for him to have a big score game, but he also wins. "
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2 related
Despite the fact that Jokic became the first player to enter a triple-double in his playoff debut since LeBron James in 2006, the big man of the Nuggets was not happy to lose 0-1.
"To be honest, nothing," Jokic said Saturday on the question of what the beginning of the triple-double meant. "Just because it's [my] First, it really does not mean anything to me. "
The Nuggets could try to post Jokic early and let him get his offense earlier. Denver head coach Mike Malone said that every time Jokic put the ball down, San Antonio smothered the big man with several defenders.
"He can try to go faster," Malone told Jokic. "I think it's one thing: to try to attack, he did it once or twice, caught it very deep in the post and left immediately before you could get it." Give them credit: they did a hellish job … literally put the ball on the ground, someone was there.
"That's what you like at Nikola: 14 assists, 14 rebounds, 10 points," continued Malone. "I love finding ways to convince him to have more field attempts and to have impact with his score, but he'll do the right reading." Early Post-Ups giving him the ball in different areas and even in the half-court, maybe he can attack before they come to get him. "
LaMarcus Aldridge, who has collected 15 points in the first game, not only knows that he will face Nuggets' double-team again, but also that he and the Spurs will see new wrinkles open Jokic from the other ground side.
"They will certainly try to get it off, more cross screens, descending screens, harrowing screens," said Aldridge. "It's their guy, so they'll try to move him further, get me to work and get him shot faster, I think I'll be ready for that."
Of course, even though Jokic did not shoot much, the Nuggets had chances to win the first match but failed to get enough shots. They missed 22 of 28 attempts by 3 points and shot 42% of the total. The Nuggets want to dictate the pace of the game more than in the first game, which was played at the San Antonio tempo. Denver has not managed to score a point, the Spurs keeping the pace of the match to their liking.
While Malone tries to get more Jokic shots, he wants Jamal Murray to follow in the footsteps of Jokic and be more of a game maker. In the first game, Murray scored 17 points but only shot 8 of 24 , missed his six 3-point attempts and got no help, which Malone said he wanted to see changed in the second game.
Murray also missed an 18-foot open pull-up that could have given the Nuggets an advantage with 9.4 seconds to go. Malone said that he would take the same shot of Murray to win the match again.
After the first game, a frustrated Murray spent nearly an hour shooting at the Nuggets training ground.
"Look right in front of you," said Murray about his mentality that came in the second game. "I can not go back … I know I'll have another opportunity in the second game.
"We're going to calm down, we're having a lot of fun and going out in a race, coming back from adversity all season, injuries and all that, wins after the fact and all that, so that's no different We will bounce back and look forward to it. "
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