"It Started With Me!" Jokic Pulls No Punches After Loss: 'It's a Mix of Everything, To Be Honest' [VIDEO]
)
Denver (3-3) fell to 1-2 at home, with their lone home victory requiring overtime after erasing a 23-point deficit against New Orleans. The Trail Blazers (5-1) took their first lead of the night with 9:29 remaining in the fourth quarter on a Kris Youngblood putback.
Nikola Jokic racked up 26 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in 35 minutes and 50 seconds on the court. He shot 10-of-22 from the field, including 8-of-15 from inside the arc and 2-of-7 from deep. He converted all four free throws, secured eight defensive boards and one offensive rebound, committed two turnovers, and added one block along with four steals.
Nikola Jokic Postgame Press Conference
Do you feel the game slipped out of your hands over the final few quarters?
I don't know. Obviously, we wish we hadn't let this one slip, but offensive rebounding was a huge problem for us. On those 50-50 balls, it felt like we were always right there, but we just couldn't come up with them. They scored nearly 40 points in the second quarter. That really... I think that gave them, not necessarily all the momentum, but the belief that they were right back in the game. We just couldn't close it out, so to speak.
Coach Adelman mentioned that down the final four minutes, you and Jamal might need a little more help creating and initiating the offense when they send double teams and help defense. Do you feel Portland was loading up on you two, and are there other offensive solutions you can lean on?
Probably. To be honest, during the game, you're just trying to solve problems on the fly. But probably. I haven't watched the film or broken down the video yet, but yeah, you're probably right.
Nikola, on the glass, you guys had an early 11-3 edge. How do you assess the way things swung so drastically after that?
Their guy is really tall. It felt like even when I boxed him out, he’d just reach over me and grab the ball. And it wasn't just clean rebounds; they were tipping balls around to each other. So yeah, it started with me, of course, but it was a collective issue as well.
Rebounding can be tricky to evaluate because there's always an element of luck on long bounces. Defensive rebounding has been a persistent issue through these first six games. How do you gauge what comes down to luck, what's technique, and what's team effort?
It's a mix of everything, to be honest. They shoot a lot—they put up 41 three-pointers—so the ball was bouncing everywhere. But I think if you put in the effort and do your job boxing out, that will help us a ton.
Nikola, how would you evaluate Jamal's start to the season?
He's been really good. Knocking down shots, playing aggressive, and making great decisions. He brings tremendous energy every single night. We love what we're seeing from him, and hopefully he keeps it up because he's playing unbelievable basketball right now.
You hit several big three-pointers tonight. Where is your confidence level right now regarding your outside shot and your shooting overall?
Well, to be honest, I don't know why, but in practice I usually make them, while in games they just haven't been falling the same way. But going through that struggle is kind of a privilege in a way—it pushes you to get better and figure out where the issue is. So it's definitely a privilege.
Christian has been terrific on defense all year, but his offensive output has picked up significantly over the last few games. What are you seeing from him that's driving that?
He works on his game every single day. He puts up shots, gets his reps in, and he's always in the gym. That hard work is clearly paying off for him now.
Following up on Ryan's question—when you think about how teammates can take pressure off you and Jamal, what does that look like on offense?
Probably by setting solid screens, creating better mismatches for us, cutting hard into open space, and knocking down open shots when they get the look.
You mentioned them taking 41 three-pointers, and you're currently allowing opponents roughly 40 attempts per game, fifth-most in the league. How do you evaluate the shots you're consciously conceding versus what you're willing to live with defensively?
I think that's a question for the coaches, not me. But yeah, they took a lot of shots and missed plenty. Still, if we had just grabbed 10 of those long boards... When teams catch momentum and find their shooting rhythm, they hit big shots in transition and within the flow of the game, which made the difference. Even so, if we cut those mistakes out... That's just modern basketball. Everyone shoots a ton of threes and players constantly work on their shot; that's the trend across the league. But you have to pick which shooters or situations you're willing to live with.
Nikola, building on that—when you see them winning 50-50 balls, generating second-chance possessions, stealing momentum, and taking control, how frustrating is it when it boils down to something as fundamental as hustle plays?
Yeah, definitely frustrating. We put together some really good offensive possessions—a lot of them, actually—and then we just couldn't finish the job on the glass, giving up one or two offensive boards and handing them fresh opportunities to score. In today's NBA, teams are too talented to give away that many extra possessions.
It's still relatively early, but how do you feel about this group right now? What are you doing well, and what do you need to zero in on to turn this early stretch into a solid start?
I feel like when we play good defense, we look really good. But when we're good, we're really good, and when we're bad, it gets really bad. We haven't been able to find consistency or a steady middle ground. So when things click, it's great, but when it's off, it's terrible, and we haven't found that sustained intensity yet.
Is that just on defense, Nikola, or does that apply to the offense as well?
No, I mean across the board. The focus, the energy, defense, offense... every single aspect of our aggressiveness.
VIDEO: "Finally Getting Praise!" Doncic Eyes MVP Award and Defensive Player of the Year Honors
,fit(112:112)&format=webp)
&format=webp)
,fit(112:112)&format=webp)
,fit(112:112)&format=webp)
&format=webp)