The game was much more closely contested than the result indicates. The Suns actually entered the final period with a three-point lead but ended up falling apart when it mattered the most, being unable to find an answer for the reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.

Jokic delivered a huge performance for the Nuggets, finishing the night with 39 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists. And Denver needed all of it, considering that his teammates struggled to get going and only three had double digits in scoring.

“Man, no hesitation from him,” said Jamal Murray, who was 3-of-15 from the floor and missed all of his nine three-point attempts. “Just dominating down low and from 3, both ways. Staying aggressive all game, uplifting us during timeouts, just full belief in us the whole time while he’s taking over and picking up everybody’s slack.”

With two wins on their home court, the Nuggets now seem like they are in control of the series. The Suns showed the same growing pains that hampered them in the first round against the LA Clippers and will have to dig deep in order to turn things around. 

The series resumes on Friday with Game 3 in Phoenix’s Footprint Center.

The post Nuggets Beat the Suns 97-87 in Game 2 of the West Semi-Finals, Take a 2-0 Lead appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Originally listed as doubtful, Jokic was omitted from the Nuggets’ lineup just an hour before tipoff. This comes after Nuggets coach Michael Malone stated during a pregame news conference that, “if there was any doubt, we will err on the side of caution with seven games left.”

Jokic’s absence from the team is a cause for concern for the Nuggets. Having gone 51-25 for the season, Denver is 3-6 without Jokic on the team.

The Nuggets will be hopeful for a quick recovery for Jokic as they gear up for three road games against Houston, Phoenix, and Utah respectively before returning home to wrap up the season in back-to-back games against the Sacramento Kings.

The post Nikola Jokic Sidelined In Nuggets Loss To Pelicans appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

This new deal will keep Jokic in Denver through the 2027-28 season, and it’s quite historic. If the reports are to be believed, he could make roughly $60 million a year after signing this deal – and he’s worth every penny.

The Serbian player went from no. 41 draft pick to the two-time MVP and helped the Nuggets reach elite status under his wing. Since joining the team in 2015, he became the first player in Denver’s history to earn All-NBA team honors in four straight seasons and to have three career first-team selections.

Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has agreed to a five-year, $264 million supermax contract extension with the Denver Nuggets, the richest deal in NBA history, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Fifth season (2027-28) will be a player option at $60M.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Earlier this year, Jokic defeated Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo to take his second consecutive MVP award, becoming only the second European player to win it more than once. He stayed incredibly humble about his achievement, saying it “doesn’t mean anything special” and that he’s just trying to compete and win games.

Jokic averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game last season, and became the first NBA player to ever reach at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a single season.

The post Nikola Jokic Signs Record-Breaking Five-Year Supermax Extension with Denver Nuggets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Jokic followed his MVP season in 2020-21 with an even better campaign that saw him put career numbers in points (27.1), rebounds (13.8), and shooting percentage (58.3). The only thing that might steer the voters elsewhere is the fact that his Nuggets finished 6th in the Western Conference.

Embiid, who was Jokic’s biggest rival last year, already took home the scoring title by averaging 30.6 points in 68 games this season. He also had 11.7 boards and 4.2 assists while the 76ers took the fourth seed in the East.

Finally, Antetokounmpo is looking to win his third MVP award in four years. He also had monster numbers that included 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists this season while being regarded as the best defender out of the three finalists. The “Greek Freak” is on the most successful team since the Bucks finished No. 3 in the Eastern Conference.

The NBA also revealed the finalists for other regular-season awards. The Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley are the finalists for the NBA Rookie of the Year award. On the other hand, the Defensive Player of the Year award will go to Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns), Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), or Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics).

Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), and Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs) are finalists for the Most Improved Player award. At the same time, Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Cam Johnson (Phoenix Suns), and Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers) are candidates for Sixth Man of the Year.

Finally, Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies), Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat), and Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns) are the finalists for the Head Coach of the Year award.

The post Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo Revealed as NBA MVP Finalists appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Suns were carried by All-Star duo Chris Paul and Devin Booker, who had another postseason outing. Paul scored 37 points and dished seven assists, while Booker had 34 points and 11 boards.

Nuggets made a late fourth-quarter push but couldn’t go all the way without their best player Nikola Jokic on the court. Jokic, who recently received the NBA MVP award, was ejected late in the third quarter for a flagrant foul on Cameron Payne.

Jokic made a hard swipe to get the ball out of Payne’s hands but also ended up hitting the Suns guard in the face. After the review, referees called a Flagrant 2 on the Serbian and sent him to the locker room.

Despite ending the game early, Jokic still managed to contribute with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Will Barton had 25 points, and Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 for Denver as well.

This was a bitter end of the postseason for the Nuggets but also an expected one. They entered the playoffs without one of their best players in Jamal Murray and knew they would have a tough time getting all the way without him.

“I’m not going to allow this series to define the season,” said Denver’s head coach Michael Malone. “Hopefully next year we can find a way to stay healthy and be better and see where we can go.”

Phoenix, on the other hand, now waits for the conclusion of the Utah Jazz vs. LA Clippers series to find out their opponent in the Western Conference Finals. This will be the first trip to conference finals for the Suns since the 2009-10 season, which was also the last time the team has made the playoffs.

“It’s a feeling that’s kind of hard to put (into) words,” said Booker. “After a game like this, or after you close a series out, you sit back and reflect a little bit and think about what we’ve been through as an organization and as a team.”

The post Suns Sweep Nuggets to Reach Western Conference Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Jokic is proving game in and game out why he’s one of the most unique players in basketball, but also why he might just be the best. Leading a Jamal Murray-less Nuggets team to the top of the West, Jokic has recently looked like the best player in the league, and we’re starting to think he should get the MVP.

In addition to helping his team succeed, his stats are astonishing. At this current moment, he’s averaging 26.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists, to go with 1.5 steals and nearly one block per contest. That’s like Larry Bird level, ladies and gentlemen.

He might not be the fastest player, but he’s making all of his opponents look like fools on the court. We’d be surprised if the Serbian big man doesn’t receive plenty of MVP votes this year, and we’re excited to see what happens.

The post Is The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic This Season’s Undisputed MVP? appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The players selected to start at the All-Star are looking pretty darn good this season. Starting for the Western Conference will be the LA Lakers’ LeBron James, the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, the LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, and the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic.

Starting for the Eastern Conference will be the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, and the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Kevin Durant was the leading vote-getter for the Eastern Conference, while LeBron James received the most votes out West. As a result, the pair will each serve as captains for their respective conferences.

When the NBA announced that the All-Star game was going to take place, James initially called it “a slap in the face”, believing that it was wrong for the event to happen during the pandemic. However, it looks as though the NBA won’t buckle down, and James in turn will be the main attraction.

The post LeBron James and Kevin Durant to Headline All-Star Game appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Having blown a crucial lead in Game 2, the Nuggets clearly learned from their past mistakes and dominated proceedings for the majority of last night’s game. While the Lakers looked as if they were to pull off another comeback in the fourth quarter by scoring 31 points, the Nuggets had enough fuel left in the tank to fend off their attack.

Jamal Murray proved indispensable for the Nuggets, scoring 28 points, making 12 assists, and racking up eight rebounds. This included a three-pointer from distance to cap off his solid performance.

Nikola Jokic had yet another strong game for the Nuggets, finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, while Jerami Grant provided a huge offensive performance to score a career-high 26 points.

The Nuggets and Lakers next face off in Game 4 of the series, taking place on Friday the 25th of September at the AdventHealth Arena at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The post Nuggets Claw Their Way Back in Game 3 of Western Conference Final appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While the Nuggets pushed the Lakers to the limit throughout the match, Lakers’ center Anthony Davis overcame Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic to score a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send his Lakers teammates into absolute hysteria.

Davis proved himself to be the key to the Lakers’ triumph, leading the fight to erase the Nuggets’ 16-point lead in the second half of the game. Davis also happened to score the Lakers’ last seven points in the game.

This game proved to be a great moment of redemption for Davis, who was still reeling from the three-pointer from the same spot that he missed during the loss against the Brooklyn Nets prior to the COVID lockdown. In that circumstance, his three points would have earned the Lakers the victory as well.

“He was doubting himself,” teammate LeBron James recalled. “And I was telling him, ‘You’re not going to make them all.’ But the belief in just taking it and living with the results is what it’s all about. And tonight was his moment to find a space and hunt the ball down.”

The post Davis Scores Buzzer-Beating 3-Pointer to Extend Lakers’ Series Lead appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Nuggets were down 3-1 in the series, but have won two straight, overcoming a 19-point deficit in their latest, improbable win.

The winner of Game 7 on Tuesday will square off against LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who easily eliminated the Houston Rockets last week.

Sunday’s game was a tale of two halves, the Clippers dominating the first and jumping out to a lead, and the Nuggets refocusing and dominating in the third and fourth quarters.

The Nuggets have become accustomed to playing from behind and it seems as if they might actually prefer it. They have won three games in the 2020 playoffs when down by 15+ points at some point in the game.

They have also shown that they play best when their backs are up against the wall. Denver has now won five straight games when facing elimination.

Denver was once again led by their star center Nikola Jokic, who hit several big threes on his way to scoring 34 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists.

The post Nuggets Force Game 7 with Incredible Comeback Victory Over Clippers appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The game was much more closely contested than the result indicates. The Suns actually entered the final period with a three-point lead but ended up falling apart when it mattered the most, being unable to find an answer for the reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.

Jokic delivered a huge performance for the Nuggets, finishing the night with 39 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists. And Denver needed all of it, considering that his teammates struggled to get going and only three had double digits in scoring.

“Man, no hesitation from him,” said Jamal Murray, who was 3-of-15 from the floor and missed all of his nine three-point attempts. “Just dominating down low and from 3, both ways. Staying aggressive all game, uplifting us during timeouts, just full belief in us the whole time while he’s taking over and picking up everybody’s slack.”

With two wins on their home court, the Nuggets now seem like they are in control of the series. The Suns showed the same growing pains that hampered them in the first round against the LA Clippers and will have to dig deep in order to turn things around. 

The series resumes on Friday with Game 3 in Phoenix’s Footprint Center.

The post Nuggets Beat the Suns 97-87 in Game 2 of the West Semi-Finals, Take a 2-0 Lead appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Originally listed as doubtful, Jokic was omitted from the Nuggets’ lineup just an hour before tipoff. This comes after Nuggets coach Michael Malone stated during a pregame news conference that, “if there was any doubt, we will err on the side of caution with seven games left.”

Jokic’s absence from the team is a cause for concern for the Nuggets. Having gone 51-25 for the season, Denver is 3-6 without Jokic on the team.

The Nuggets will be hopeful for a quick recovery for Jokic as they gear up for three road games against Houston, Phoenix, and Utah respectively before returning home to wrap up the season in back-to-back games against the Sacramento Kings.

The post Nikola Jokic Sidelined In Nuggets Loss To Pelicans appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

This new deal will keep Jokic in Denver through the 2027-28 season, and it’s quite historic. If the reports are to be believed, he could make roughly $60 million a year after signing this deal – and he’s worth every penny.

The Serbian player went from no. 41 draft pick to the two-time MVP and helped the Nuggets reach elite status under his wing. Since joining the team in 2015, he became the first player in Denver’s history to earn All-NBA team honors in four straight seasons and to have three career first-team selections.

Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has agreed to a five-year, $264 million supermax contract extension with the Denver Nuggets, the richest deal in NBA history, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Fifth season (2027-28) will be a player option at $60M.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Earlier this year, Jokic defeated Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo to take his second consecutive MVP award, becoming only the second European player to win it more than once. He stayed incredibly humble about his achievement, saying it “doesn’t mean anything special” and that he’s just trying to compete and win games.

Jokic averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game last season, and became the first NBA player to ever reach at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a single season.

The post Nikola Jokic Signs Record-Breaking Five-Year Supermax Extension with Denver Nuggets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Jokic followed his MVP season in 2020-21 with an even better campaign that saw him put career numbers in points (27.1), rebounds (13.8), and shooting percentage (58.3). The only thing that might steer the voters elsewhere is the fact that his Nuggets finished 6th in the Western Conference.

Embiid, who was Jokic’s biggest rival last year, already took home the scoring title by averaging 30.6 points in 68 games this season. He also had 11.7 boards and 4.2 assists while the 76ers took the fourth seed in the East.

Finally, Antetokounmpo is looking to win his third MVP award in four years. He also had monster numbers that included 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists this season while being regarded as the best defender out of the three finalists. The “Greek Freak” is on the most successful team since the Bucks finished No. 3 in the Eastern Conference.

The NBA also revealed the finalists for other regular-season awards. The Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley are the finalists for the NBA Rookie of the Year award. On the other hand, the Defensive Player of the Year award will go to Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns), Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), or Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics).

Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies), and Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs) are finalists for the Most Improved Player award. At the same time, Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), Cam Johnson (Phoenix Suns), and Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers) are candidates for Sixth Man of the Year.

Finally, Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies), Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat), and Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns) are the finalists for the Head Coach of the Year award.

The post Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo Revealed as NBA MVP Finalists appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Suns were carried by All-Star duo Chris Paul and Devin Booker, who had another postseason outing. Paul scored 37 points and dished seven assists, while Booker had 34 points and 11 boards.

Nuggets made a late fourth-quarter push but couldn’t go all the way without their best player Nikola Jokic on the court. Jokic, who recently received the NBA MVP award, was ejected late in the third quarter for a flagrant foul on Cameron Payne.

Jokic made a hard swipe to get the ball out of Payne’s hands but also ended up hitting the Suns guard in the face. After the review, referees called a Flagrant 2 on the Serbian and sent him to the locker room.

Despite ending the game early, Jokic still managed to contribute with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Will Barton had 25 points, and Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 for Denver as well.

This was a bitter end of the postseason for the Nuggets but also an expected one. They entered the playoffs without one of their best players in Jamal Murray and knew they would have a tough time getting all the way without him.

“I’m not going to allow this series to define the season,” said Denver’s head coach Michael Malone. “Hopefully next year we can find a way to stay healthy and be better and see where we can go.”

Phoenix, on the other hand, now waits for the conclusion of the Utah Jazz vs. LA Clippers series to find out their opponent in the Western Conference Finals. This will be the first trip to conference finals for the Suns since the 2009-10 season, which was also the last time the team has made the playoffs.

“It’s a feeling that’s kind of hard to put (into) words,” said Booker. “After a game like this, or after you close a series out, you sit back and reflect a little bit and think about what we’ve been through as an organization and as a team.”

The post Suns Sweep Nuggets to Reach Western Conference Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Jokic is proving game in and game out why he’s one of the most unique players in basketball, but also why he might just be the best. Leading a Jamal Murray-less Nuggets team to the top of the West, Jokic has recently looked like the best player in the league, and we’re starting to think he should get the MVP.

In addition to helping his team succeed, his stats are astonishing. At this current moment, he’s averaging 26.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, 8.4 assists, to go with 1.5 steals and nearly one block per contest. That’s like Larry Bird level, ladies and gentlemen.

He might not be the fastest player, but he’s making all of his opponents look like fools on the court. We’d be surprised if the Serbian big man doesn’t receive plenty of MVP votes this year, and we’re excited to see what happens.

The post Is The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic This Season’s Undisputed MVP? appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The players selected to start at the All-Star are looking pretty darn good this season. Starting for the Western Conference will be the LA Lakers’ LeBron James, the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, the LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, and the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic.

Starting for the Eastern Conference will be the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, and the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Kevin Durant was the leading vote-getter for the Eastern Conference, while LeBron James received the most votes out West. As a result, the pair will each serve as captains for their respective conferences.

When the NBA announced that the All-Star game was going to take place, James initially called it “a slap in the face”, believing that it was wrong for the event to happen during the pandemic. However, it looks as though the NBA won’t buckle down, and James in turn will be the main attraction.

The post LeBron James and Kevin Durant to Headline All-Star Game appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Having blown a crucial lead in Game 2, the Nuggets clearly learned from their past mistakes and dominated proceedings for the majority of last night’s game. While the Lakers looked as if they were to pull off another comeback in the fourth quarter by scoring 31 points, the Nuggets had enough fuel left in the tank to fend off their attack.

Jamal Murray proved indispensable for the Nuggets, scoring 28 points, making 12 assists, and racking up eight rebounds. This included a three-pointer from distance to cap off his solid performance.

Nikola Jokic had yet another strong game for the Nuggets, finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, while Jerami Grant provided a huge offensive performance to score a career-high 26 points.

The Nuggets and Lakers next face off in Game 4 of the series, taking place on Friday the 25th of September at the AdventHealth Arena at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The post Nuggets Claw Their Way Back in Game 3 of Western Conference Final appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While the Nuggets pushed the Lakers to the limit throughout the match, Lakers’ center Anthony Davis overcame Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic to score a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send his Lakers teammates into absolute hysteria.

Davis proved himself to be the key to the Lakers’ triumph, leading the fight to erase the Nuggets’ 16-point lead in the second half of the game. Davis also happened to score the Lakers’ last seven points in the game.

This game proved to be a great moment of redemption for Davis, who was still reeling from the three-pointer from the same spot that he missed during the loss against the Brooklyn Nets prior to the COVID lockdown. In that circumstance, his three points would have earned the Lakers the victory as well.

“He was doubting himself,” teammate LeBron James recalled. “And I was telling him, ‘You’re not going to make them all.’ But the belief in just taking it and living with the results is what it’s all about. And tonight was his moment to find a space and hunt the ball down.”

The post Davis Scores Buzzer-Beating 3-Pointer to Extend Lakers’ Series Lead appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Nuggets were down 3-1 in the series, but have won two straight, overcoming a 19-point deficit in their latest, improbable win.

The winner of Game 7 on Tuesday will square off against LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who easily eliminated the Houston Rockets last week.

Sunday’s game was a tale of two halves, the Clippers dominating the first and jumping out to a lead, and the Nuggets refocusing and dominating in the third and fourth quarters.

The Nuggets have become accustomed to playing from behind and it seems as if they might actually prefer it. They have won three games in the 2020 playoffs when down by 15+ points at some point in the game.

They have also shown that they play best when their backs are up against the wall. Denver has now won five straight games when facing elimination.

Denver was once again led by their star center Nikola Jokic, who hit several big threes on his way to scoring 34 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists.

The post Nuggets Force Game 7 with Incredible Comeback Victory Over Clippers appeared first on yoursportspot.com.