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Nikola Jokic said the Denver Nuggets’ 116-105 Game 1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves matched exactly what he expected from a playoff opener at Ball Arena on Saturday night.
“Yes. It was physical. It was ups and downs, runs,” Jokic said. “So I think it definitely met expectations.”
The Nuggets center finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists as Denver shook off a slow start and took control late in the first-round series. Jamal Murray added 30 points and went 16-for-16 from the free-throw line.
Jokic said this Minnesota team is not the same group Denver faced in last year’s seven-game series. “I think some people say it’s the same teams. I don’t think it’s the same team,” he said. “People are more experienced. It’s different players.”
He added that a single change can alter the entire feel of a series. “One player can change the whole situation, the whole rotation, the whole momentum of the team,” Jokic said.
Even with the roster changes, Jokic said the matchup still carries the same playoff edge. “But I still think it’s always going to be an interesting game,” he said. “Whenever we play it’s always interesting.”
The two-time MVP said the chess match remains central to the matchup. “We have different coverages, they have different coverages,” he said. “So it’s a really nice basketball game, an interesting basketball game.”
Jokic also praised Christian Braun’s defensive role against Minnesota’s ball-handlers. “When he accepts his role and knows what he’s doing, just be annoying the whole game, guarding somebody full court,” he said.
“For a player coming into the game you know you’re going to be guarded full court even if it’s a good or bad defender someone is going to be next to you the whole time so you need to definitely prepare for that,” Jokic added.
On offense, Jokic pointed to Braun’s activity and confidence. “I think CB is doing a really good job and he’s aggressive,” he said. “He’s fighting over the screens and mixing it up so he’s doing a really good job.”
Jokic also highlighted the value of playing in front of Denver’s crowd. “Whenever we needed those little sparks they were behind our back,” he said. “I love to play in front of our crowd.”
The Nuggets shot 30-for-33 from the line, and Jokic credited the pressure generated by Jamal Murray’s aggression. “Jamal is amazing,” he said. “One of the best free throw shooters in the game in my opinion.”
Jokic said Aaron Gordon’s second-half response after foul trouble mattered too. “That was a good thing for us in many senses,” he said. “Being aggressive, foul is a friend, it’s not something bad.”
Asked how he reads a series early, Jokic said he does not force the issue. “I just let it see what’s going to happen,” he said. “If I’m not open I’m just going to play the game. I never look at it that way.”
He closed by stressing the series is defined by responses to momentum swings. “It’s always about the runs and how you’re going to react and how you’re going to manage those runs,” Jokic said.
