Is Nikola Jokic unstoppable? Denver Nuggets superstar’s stellar performance helps defeat potential title-challengers Boston Celtics

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is a different kind of a problem for the league.

Is Nikola Jokic unstoppable? Denver Nuggets superstar’s stellar performance helps defeat potential title-challengers Boston Celtics

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic was unstoppable against the Boston Celtics in possible NBA title preview

The Denver Nuggets welcomed the league-leading Boston Celtics tonight. This matchup was hyped up as the game of the year so far. The defending champions Nuggets against the heavily superstar-laden Celtics. This match would set the tone for a possible battle for the title. That is, given that the Celtics have already clinched a postseason birth and are heavily favored to win it all. Unless, your name is Nikola Jokic, and your performance is unstoppable and stellar enough to upset those title favorites.

Everyone knows about Nikola Jokic’s rise to become one of the best players in the league. Two regular season MVPs and one Finals MVP to go along with an NBA title have cemented that stature. However, The Boston Celtics are a different kind of an opponent. A team full of All-Stars who can effortlessly switch between their starting 5 to dominate a game, or provide a complete team effort. They threw both at Jokic and the Nuggets, only for a stellar performance from Jokic to come out on top.

YouTube video

If using his deft touch and ability to score over anyone was not enough, Jokic used some incredible spin moves to finish at the basket. In one play, his first dribble after some hesitations threw Kristaps Porzingis off his low-post defensive stance. Jokic spun around and banked a shot in. That was one of the 32 points he had tonight as he toyed with every Celtics player on the court. His performance was unstoppable, against the best defensive team in the league.

FS Video

Nikola Jokic using all the tricks up his sleeve to dominate the Boston Celtics

From the start of the game, one thing was clear to everyone watching. The fulcrum of the attack for the Denver Nuggets was Nikola Jokic. Despite that fact being out in the open, the league’s best defensive team could not stop the Jokic juggernaut. Time and again, he either started plays or became the second player to touch the ball. Most of those combinations were either with pick-and-roll partner Jamal Murray or on alley-oops with Aaron Gordon.

Both these combinations handed the Boston Celtics their first back-to-back losses since November. Jokic was the common point in either scheme, using his high IQ and unparalleled court vision to dissect the Celtics’ defensive schemes. The Celtics threw all their defensive firepower at Jokic, rotating almost all the players above 6′ 7″ onto him. But he could not be stopped. Whether it was a pass to Murray or Gordon, or just flat-out scoring on his own, Jokic was in a different stratosphere tonight, he was simply unstoppable.

A possible title-showdown preview?

Both the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets were coming off streak-shattering losses. But that did not stop either side from seeing this game as a possible preview of what is to come in June. Both sides contested the game well. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 41. However, it was not enough to overcome Jokic’s stellar performance as well as timely contributions from the Nuggets’ entire squad.

The Denver Nuggets bench outscored the Celtics 28-10. During the title run last year, the Nuggets had the best bench in all of basketball. If the Celtics are to see where they are lacking, it has to be the inconsistent performance from the bench. All of those factors contributed to the Celtics losing the game 115-109.

The game of the night did show something from both sides. The Denver Nuggets are still the benchmark for the league. And the Boston Celtics need to make some changes to their game to topple them. But what do they do about the unstoppable Nikola Jokic? At the moment no one has an answer.

In case you missed: