Nikola Jokic had a rough first half on Saturday night, but he has more than earned some leeway, and he more than bounced back with a dominant second half that fueled the Nuggets’ massive comeback win to beat the Hawks. But it wasn’t good enough to silence his harshest critic, himself.
After the game, Jokic said in the first half he was playing “too sissy”, explaining that he wasn’t attacking or being aggressive enough and was “just kind of there”. Most people would give the three-time MVP a pass for going one half without being the most engaged player, but he was clearly disappointed in himself, and he showed it with both his actions and his words.
It’s pretty incredible that he’s capable of understanding the situation and delivering such a message to himself within the game, as he went from a 2-13 first half, to an 11-13 shooting second half, finishing the game with 40 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists as Denver erased a 23 points deficit to get the win in Atlanta.
The Joker went on to say that he decided he’s “not gonna go down without a fight,” and did he ever fight in the second half. It truly was as if he made the decision in the locker room at halftime that the Nuggets weren’t going to lose, and that’s all it took, because his performance in after the break was immaculate, and he carried his teammates with him.
Nuggets’ comeback had historical implications
The 23-point comeback amounted to the third-largest in franchise history, and it also extended Denver’s road winning streak to nine straight, which is a Nuggets record. They’ve been playing incredible basketball away from home recently, and it’s keeping them in the mix near the top of the Western Conference.
But the road dogs are forced to keep things afloat because the confines of Ball Arena haven’t been so friendly this season. They’ve lost four in a row in Denver, and they’re just 6-4 at home on the season, compared to an outstanding 10-2 record on the road.
It has been great to see the Nuggets go on this run, but still, fourth or fifth place in the West may not be good enough this season. That would mean a tough first-round matchup and a likely date with the Thunder in the second round.
So while the Nuggets deserve some credit for playing so well on the road and surviving without Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon, it shows that they can play a lot better at home, and they need to lock in and take care of business regardless of the location or opponent.