Jonas Valanciunas speaks after the Denver Nuggets avoid elimination against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Denver Nuggets kept their season alive in game five, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 125-113.
The Nuggets had lost three straight after winning game one, and their offense looked out of sorts in the games three and four, failing to crack 100 points in both games. In the regular season, Denver had the top offense in the league, and they were held under 100 points only twice in 82 games, both times without Nikola Jokic.
Jokic's play came under question after the two games in Minnesota as he scored a total of 51 points on 48 shots, shooting 31% from the field and 15% from three. His assist number were also well down from his season average, collecting a total of 12 assists in the two games.
In game five, Jokic had 27 points on 60% shooting to go along with 16 assists.
Jonas Valanciunas Speaks
After the game, Nuggets backup center Jonas Valanciunas was asked if the team was ever worried about Jokic given his play in Minnesota.
"He's been good throughout the series. He's been (playing) really good basketball. I'm with him. I'm not worried about him," he said.
Though Valanciunas may not have been worried about Jokic, there was legitimate reason for concern as the Nuggets fell behind 3-1 and Jokic did not look like the three-time MVP and game dominator that fans have been accustomed to watching.
In game five, he was able to right those wrongs as the offense looked like the regular season machine. A big reason as to why the offense looked better was due to the Nuggets upping their phsyical play on both ends of the floor.
Enter Jonas Valanciunas
Denver acquired Valanciunas in the offseason to help stop the bleeding whenever Jokic checked out of games. He proved to be a servicable backup throughout the regular season, stablizing things when Jokic sat.
Through the first four games of the series, he played a total of 13 minutes, and did not play at all in games three and four.
In game five, he was inserted for his physicality and screening ability to help match the intensity of the Timberwolves and open up the Denver offense.
Though he finished with a -6 and five fouls, some of which came on illegal screens, he did have nine points on 4-4 shooting, two rebounds, an assist, and a block. More importantly, he helped set the tone for Denver regarding the physical intensity and showing that they weren't going down without a fight.