Nikola Jokic admits he should've taken a late floater over Anthony Edwards in Denver's Game 2 loss.
The Denver Nuggets had this one won. Up 19 points at home with the best player in the world doing exactly what he does. Then the fourth quarter happened, and one possession in particular will follow the Nuggets all the way to Minneapolis. Nikola Jokic didn't dodge it after the game.
"Yeah, I thought I had him. Ant kind of stepped up and jumped in the air. I thought I had a pass, but I should have taken that floater. We had two free throws, so it wasn't a bad ending, but I should have taken that floater."
That's the most Jokic answer imaginable. Accountable, logical, and still trying to find the silver lining in a sequence that cost his team a chance to go up 2-0. Christian Braun missed both of those free throws, and the Wolves escaped with a 119-114 win to even the series.
Apr 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) defends on Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesA Collapse Nobody Saw Coming
The Nuggets were as in control of a playoff game as a team can be. A 19-point lead at home, in a series where they took Game 1 by 11. All the momentum was pointing one direction. Then Minnesota came alive, Rudy Gobert locked in defensively, and Denver's offense completely stalled when it mattered most.
Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. On most nights that's a win. But he shot just 1-of-7 in the fourth quarter and was held to two points in the final frame with Gobert taking away everything he wanted in the paint.
Jamal Murray wasn't much better. The two combined for just four points on 2-of-12 shooting in the fourth, and a game that felt over by halftime turned into a gut-punch loss at Ball Arena. What made it worse is how avoidable it was. Denver just simply ran out of aggression in the fourth quarter.
Jokic, the guy who's supposed to take over in moments like that, passed up a wide open floater over Anthony Edwards with 25 seconds left and his team down two. He's made that shot a thousand times. He knows it, and he said so himself.
Apr 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) defends on Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesDenver Is Still In A Solid Position
One bad fourth quarter doesn't rewrite what Jokic is. He opened this series with a triple-double in Game 1 and was dominant for three quarters in Game 2 before everything fell apart. He's still the best player in this series and arguably the best player in the league right now.
But the Wolves have now proven they can claw back from enormous deficits against this group. They know Gobert can hold his own one-on-one. They know that if Denver's offense gets passive late, the door opens.
The Nuggets have been here before with Minnesota. They know how physical and mentally draining this matchup gets. Game 3 shifts to Target Center on Thursday, and this Nuggets team needs Jokic to be the aggressor from the jump. Not just for three quarters. All 48 minutes.