Jokic and Vembanyama put on a show in the NBA! And the Serbian surpassed the feat of the Denver legend
Nikita Biryukov April 3, 2024, 11:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Who would have thought that San Antonio would impose such a fight on the current champions?
The San Antonio Spurs long ago missed a chance to make the playoffs in Victor Vembanyama’s first season with the team. At the same time, the Texas Club recently demonstrated an excellent level of play, fighting on equal terms with the best teams of the Western Conference. This time, Greg Popovich’s team found itself on the road with the reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets, who are being guided to their second title by Nikola Jokic. What happened in the match between one of the leaders and the outsider from the West? There were many interesting things.
There is very little time left until the end of the regular season, so every game is now more important than ever. Any mistake can cost you the loss of one or even two positions in the standings. “Denver” received “San Antonio” on the court of the “Ball Arena”, the “nuggets” immediately imposed an excellent rhythm in the game and, according to the results of the first 12 minutes, were stronger than their opponent with a score from 30:23. Remarkable fact: Jokic scored three dunks in the first quarter, although the Serbian center prefers to make layups. This fact apparently infuriated Saint Anthony and Vembanyama in particular. The guests took the initiative and almost equalized the score in the match (54:55).
The video can be seen on Chaz NBA’s YouTube channel. Video rights belong to NBA MEDIA VENTURES, LLC.
Spurs leader Vembanyama did everything he could to stop Jokic. The Frenchman blocked the Serbian’s shots on numerous occasions and continued to influence the team’s play both in attack and defense. The confrontation heated up to such an extent that the teams did not reveal their strongest in the third quarter (31:31), and the fate of the match was decided in the last half. “Denver”, thanks to the support of the stands and the impressive performance of Jokic – 42 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, finally brought the matter to victory – 110:105. However, it cannot be said that it was simple. The San Antonio players showed their character and that even away from home they can fight with the current league champion.
Vembanyama is a machine. There are simply no other words. 23 points, 15 rebounds, nine blocks and eight assists! The 20-year-old Frenchman was missing a block and two assists to achieve a quadruple double, and this in a game like this… I repeat, there are still no words. An amazing future awaits you. Denver power forward Aaron Gordon also noted this: “He’s going to be very, very, very, very good.” At the same time, the one who defended Vembi throughout the match, Jokic, couldn’t help but speak.
Nikola Jokic
NBA champion, two-time league MVP
“Of course, I didn’t do a very good job today. He blocked six or seven of my shots. But he is a special player and you always have to make special moves to beat guys like that. “I think when I learn everything and understand the game better, it will be an even bigger problem.”
After the game, San Antonio coach Popovich spoke glowingly about both teams’ centers in a press conference. “Victor earned a lot of respect tonight because Nikola is the best. The fact that Victor wanted to defend himself against him and learn was a true testament to how good he wants to be. Like I said, the matchup with Nikola speaks volumes. “Víctor is learning every minute.”
Jokic couldn’t do without some achievement on a night like this. The NBA champion surpassed the legendary Carmelo Anthony for the most points scored in Denver history. Nicola now occupies third place with 13,978 points, while Carmelo stands at 13,970 points. Only Dan Issle (16,589 points) and Alex English (21,654 points) have scored more than a Serbian center in Nuggets history. Can Nikola break the club record before the end of his career? It seems that everything is heading towards this.
Who insulted Jokic and why?
Jokic was offended by the EuroLeague and NBA legend. The Serbian champion has already shown everything to everyone
Denver continues to fight with Minnesota and Oklahoma for first place in the Western Conference. At the moment, the “nuggets” have played one more game than their rivals and are at the top of the standings. The team led by Jokic only has six regular season games left. Can the Nuggets maintain first place until the start of the playoffs? Wait and see.
NBA – regular season
April 3, 2024, Wednesday. 04:00 Moscow time
Denver Nuggets
Denver
San Antonio Spurs
Saint Anthony
Denver Nuggets: Jokic – 42, Gordon – 23, Porter – 15, Jackson – 9, Watson – 7, Brown – 5, Holiday – 5, Caldwell-Pope – 4, Strawther, Tyson, Jordan, Gillespie, Pickett, Huff
San Antonio Spurs: Branham – 24, Vembanyama – 23, Collins – 13, Champagne – 11, Osman – 10, Jones – 10, Mamukelashvili – 10, Graham – 2, Wesley – 2, Bouey, Sissoko, Duke, Gray
