Nikola Jokic fails to reverse troubling trend that's turning into pattern

The Nuggets didn’t exactly embarrass themselves on Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden, but they did lose a third straight game, falling to the Knicks 122-112. Denver was one of the hottest teams in the NBA after winning 11 of 14, but now they’ve fallen for a third straight time after getting beaten by the Timberwolves and Bulls.

This one was a weird game from the jump. Michael Malone went with a brand new starting lineup, reinserting Aaron Gordon and sending Christian Braun to the bench for the first time this season.

But Nikola Jokic picked up two quick fouls and Braun entered the game almost immediately. The Nuggets then tried to survive almost the entire half without the Joker, riding a Jamal Murray heater to keep things close against the red-hot Knicks.

Jokic never managed to get it going though, and the Knicks pulled away in the fourth quarter. It was another concerning defensive performance from the Nuggets, but it was perhaps even more concerning to see Jokic and the offense struggle yet again facing a Karl-Anthony Towns team.

Nobody in the NBA defends Jokic better than KAT

Although this wasn’t exactly the marquee heavyweight bout between Jokic and Towns we were expecting, it was another game with KAT’s team coming out on top and Jokic struggling. No player has held Jokic to a lower field goal percentage over the last two seasons than Towns and Jokic has gone under his assists total in 18 of 19 games against Towns.

KAT likes to front Jokic in the post, forcing him to the perimeter and turning him into a jump shooter. It has been an incredibly effective strategy in recent years. It worked last year as the Timberwolves knocked the Nuggets out of the playoffs last season, and it’s working this year for the Knicks.

In two games against New York this season, Jokic is averaging just 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists, shooting 15/36 from the field and attempting 7 three-pointers in each contest. That’s about as good as any team can hope to do against the Joker and it has happened frequently enough against Towns that it’s starting to become a pattern.

Towns’ success against Jokic is no fluke

KAT’s combination of size, strength, and quickness gives him a chance to keep up with Jokic and make him work. Being able to keep him out of the paint is also a massive victory, making his shot profile much tougher and keeping him off the offensive glass. He also makes Jokic work extremely hard on the other end inside and out and was a big part of the reason Jokic got in early foul trouble.

The good news for Nuggets fans is that this game was obviously a bit fluky with the ridiculous two fouls coming in just 90 seconds. Jokic also wasn’t directly matched up with KAT that often - the two barely shared the floor in the first half - it’s not like he singlehandedly shut him down.

Last season, a big part of KAT’s success against Jokic was thought to be the fact that he was able to play the four on offense and had Rudy Gobert behind him, defending the rim on defense so he could afford to be more aggressive while guarding Jokic. 

But with Mithcell Robinson’s injury, Towns has been the full-time center for the Knicks this year and his defense against Jokic has been just as good, if not better. Luckily for Denver, as frustrating as this matchup is, it won’t happen again this season unless the teams meet up in the NBA Finals. And I’m sure any fan would sign up for that deal in a heartbeat.