Despite a close home loss, Jokic offers a straightforward message for the Nuggets as they head into the break.
The Denver Nuggets are heading into the All-Star break on a sour note after falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-117 at Ball Arena on Monday night, and while there are plenty of things to fix, Nikola Jokic is keeping his mindset as simple as possible.
When asked about staying locked in before the break with one more game left on the schedule, the three-time MVP did not overcomplicate things.
"I mean, I don't know. I think it's a normal game, so you should we should be focused on that and not on anything else... focus on the game. I think that's probably key," Jokic said after the loss.
It is the kind of answer you would expect from Jokic, but in a season where the Nuggets have dealt with a revolving door of injuries and inconsistent play, his words carry extra weight.
A Heartbreaker at Home
Monday's loss was a tough one to swallow.
The Nuggets held a 117-114 lead with under 90 seconds left, but James Harden hit a step-back three to tie it with 32 seconds remaining and Donovan Mitchell sealed it at the free-throw line with less than a second on the clock.
Jokic had a shot to win it at the buzzer, but his three-point attempt was off.
Even in the loss, Jokic turned in another triple-double with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, his 183rd career triple-double after passing Oscar Robertson for second all-time just two nights earlier.
On the season, the big man is averaging 28.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game.
Jamal Murray chipped in 17 points and 11 assists, but he also dealt with a hip issue that popped up during Saturday's win over the Bulls.
Murray is putting together a career year with averages of 26.0 points and 7.5 assists per game, which helped earn him his first All-Star nod, but the Nuggets need him healthy down the stretch more than anything.
An Up-and-Down Stretch
The loss dropped Denver to 34-20 on the season, good for the third seed in the Western Conference, but the Nuggets have now dropped four of their last five games and the recent stretch has been bumpy.
After snapping a three-game losing streak with a dominant win over Chicago on Saturday, many hoped Denver had turned a corner, but Cleveland's new backcourt of Mitchell and Harden proved to be too much in the closing moments.
Head coach David Adelman has been open about how hard it has been to find a rhythm with so many players coming and going from the lineup.
Jokic missed 16 games earlier this season with a knee issue and has been on a minutes restriction since returning, with Adelman running a staggered rotation that is still a work in progress.
Eyes on Wednesday
The Nuggets host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday in their final game before the All-Star break, and Jokic's message about staying focused applies perfectly. Denver does not need to worry about what comes after the break just yet.
They need to take care of business and head into the break with some positive momentum.
With how talented this roster is when healthy, there is no reason to panic, but as Jokic put it, the key is staying focused and treating every game like it matters.
For a team with championship aspirations, that approach will serve them well as the second half of the season approaches.