Despite his outstanding performance on Tuesday, which earned the Denver Nuggets the victory, Nikola Jokic insisted that his team needs to be more reliable if they are to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
"But we dropped it in the second half. We lost the poise we had in the first half against a tremendously great team, he continued.
Jokic emphasized the importance of beginning this conference final with a victory while also stating that the Nuggets are more vulnerable if they don't follow their collective game plan.
We anticipated their return because they are a formidable team. But at this time in the year, winning by one or by twenty is still a victory, he insisted.
Due to an outstanding effort by Nikola Jokic, who shined with 34 points (on an incredible 12 of 17 shooting), 21 rebounds (6 offensive), and 14 assists for his sixth triple-double in these playoffs, the Nuggets took the lead in the West final.
The Lakers provided amazing resistance despite their defense not being tight until the fourth quarter, and LeBron made a three-pointer in the closing seconds to level the game. Denver went on to win by 21 points but struggled until the end.
LeBron James had 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists, and Anthony Davis shone despite having to deal with Jokic.