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By Antonis Stroggylakis / [email protected]
Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic hopes he and his teammates will turn the “must win” burden of the upcoming Game 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers into a weapon by not letting the emerging urgency get the better of them and instead just get out there and play your craft.
“I think we just need to relax and enjoy the moment. Everyone is putting a lot of pressure. Hopefully the next game is going to be better, “Jokic said in the zoom all presser after the Nuggets’ loss in Game 4.” Because we are winning or we are going home. For me that is a kind of [makes us] relaxed. Not relaxed, loose. You do not have to worry “.
“We all need to be a little more relaxed and not have as much pressure on ourselves,” Jokic added.
Jokic and the Nuggets are down 3-1 after a poor offensive performance in Game 5. Denver finished with 85 points to the Clippers’ 96 in what was its lowest-scoring outing in a loss during 2019-2020 and its second worst overall this season.
The “Joker” led the way with 26 points (13-30 from the field), 11 rebounds and six assists, while the rest of his teammates had 23 shots of 65 attempts.
“It’s too bad we couldn’t find any offensive rhythm,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. “And when we found a rhythm and when we found open shots, we just couldn’t take them down.”
The only Nugget to make an effortless basket was Michael Porter Jr. The rookie finished with 15 points off the bench on 9-14 shots to complete his six rebounds, taking a 13-point explosion in the second period.
He made only two attempts in the second half.
“The ball found it. We play an offense where the ball moves. Trust the pass, trust the teammates. I think in the second half I got it, ”Malone said. There was a difference of opinion between him and his young player.
“I didn’t touch the ball,” Porter said. “They didn’t do anything different.”
“It really depends on the coaches who they want to get the ball into,” Porter added. Whose hands. We keep going to Jok and Mal [Murray]. They are two incredible players. I just think that to beat that team we have to involve more players, we have to move the ball better. We can’t be predictable against that team. “
Porter could find the additional opportunities he wants to contribute more in Game 6 on Friday.
Photo: Getty Images
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