Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman praised Nikola Jokic after the team finally won one of his 50-point games.
Over the course of Nikola Jokic’s storied career, the Denver Nuggets had become somewhat infamous for losing games where Jokic scored at least 50 points or had an otherwise out-of-this-world stat line. That curse came to an end on Wednesday, as Jokic recorded a 55-point double-double to lead the Nuggets over the host Los Angeles Clippers 130-116.
Jokic made 18-of-23 attempts from the field (5-of-6 from 3-point range) and grabbed 12 rebounds in another gaudy statistical outing not unlike the numbers Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell were putting up in the “video game numbers” era. In terms of actually winning this time, Nuggets coach David Adelman said it wasn’t really something that was on his or the team’s mind.
“I've never really thought about it to be honest, just trying to win the games as best we can,” Adelman said. “We've had some games where he's done some historical things and we just haven't finished it at the end, but this game was memorable because his first half is why we were in the game.”
Adelman also complimented Jokic’s ability to get up for back-to-backs, specifically the second leg, crediting the way the three-time MVP takes care of his body for the long haul of the season.
“I think just the fact that he prepares every day for situations like this,” Adelman said. “If he has two days off, he's going to use that time to properly maintenance his body … Everything he does is the same. The way he played today is how he works out when no one's watching. So that's what leads to this.”
No Lead Is Safe
Adelman was questioned for his decision to put Jokic back in the game with a huge lead. The coach explained that no lead is safe in today’ NBA, so it would be a fool’s errand to leave the best player in the world on the bench when the game can be closed out.
“I feel like in the NBA, if you're not up by 40 points, you're going to put your best players back in to make sure you get to a certain point to win the game,” Adelman said. “There's a zero disrespect in that, there was no ‘how many points does (Jokic) have? I thought about it, but I did think they started to press us and he's one of our best ball handlers.
“He's a guy that can bleed the clock. He's one of the best players alive. If you're trying to win games in the NBA, it would be stupid for me not to put my best players back in to make sure we win the game.”