Denver Nuggets

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers offered great praise for Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic amid the two teams' ongoing Western Conference second-round playoff series, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk:

"He has a little bit of everybody," Rivers told reporters Tuesday when asked if Jokic's game is comparable to any center's in league history. "He has all the footwork and the moves of an [Hakeem] Olajuwon, the lanky and goofy, like goofy intelligence of Kevin McHale. Shoot, man, he's just good. He's the best passing big that I've seen, I think, ever. I know [Bill] Walton was one of [the best passing centers ever]."  

Rivers would know firsthand about Olajuwon, McHale and Walton as he played against all three in an NBA career that lasted from 1983-96.

The ex-NBA point guard spent most of that time with the Atlanta Hawks from 1983-91.

Despite Los Angeles' 2-1 lead in the series, Jokic has dominated the Clips this postseason with averages of 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 52.7 percent shooting. He also dished out 13 assists during a seeding game against L.A. in August.

He's put on a clinic with some highlight-reel passes, including the two below:

During the 2019-20 regular season, Jokic posted 7.0 dimes per game.

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic jabbed back at Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley for suggesting he plays up contact to get more calls.

Beverley took a shot at both Jokic and the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic after the Clips took a 2-1 series lead over Jokic's Nuggets with a 113-107 victory Monday night.

He compared the European standouts' attempts to play up contact to draw fouls:

Jokic nearly carried Denver to a Game 3 win as he tallied 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in 39 minutes. No other member of the Nuggets scored more than 18 points. The Serbian center didn't do much damage from the free-throw line, however, making three of his four attempts.

"What is a flailing mean?" Jokic said. "... They had 26 free throws. We had 10. I am just showing the ref it is a foul."

He added: "You need to know when to be aggressive. You need to know to get into the body. Sometimes the advantage of the whistle is on your side or on the opponent's side. They are a little bit more experienced than us in those situations, so maybe that's it."

The Clippers' superstar tandem of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard combined for 55 points on 21-of-37 shooting, and L.A. as a whole shot 54.7 percent from the field.

"They're talented," Jokic told reporters. "They're favorite on paper and everything, have maybe better starting unit, more players, whatever. Coach, whatever. ... Today, we didn't close well. The effort needs to be there to give ourselves a chance to win a game."

Los Angeles eliminated Doncic and the Mavs in six games during the first round. Dallas' budding MVP candidate averaged 31.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists in the series.

Meanwhile, Beverley was previously fined $25,000 after Game 2 of the Nuggets series for verbal abuse of a game official that led to his ejection from Denver's 110-101 win.

Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinal series is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The second-round series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets is a matchup of impressive duos with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on one side and Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic on the other.

Three of those four played well in the Clippers' 113-107 win in Monday's Game 3, but Murray did not.

He took responsibility for the loss in the aftermath and promised he will be better the next time out:

Murray finished with 14 points and nine assists on an ugly 5-of-17 shooting from the field. He was also involved in one of the most important plays of the game when Leonard swatted his dunk attempt in crunch time with just a middle finger.

It was part of the Clippers' 23-10 run to end the game and take a 2-1 series lead as both Leonard (23 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and two blocks) and George (32 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals) stuffed the stat sheet.

Murray was unable to provide critical support for Jokic, who was mostly brilliant with 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

As a result, the Nuggets scored 10 points in the last eight minutes and watched a game they largely controlled slip away.

The Denver guard already showed what he can do during his first-round showdowns against Donovan Mitchell, scoring 50 twice in the series win over the Utah Jazz. However, he scored 12 points in Game 1 against the Clippers and struggled again Monday facing a team that can throw Leonard, George and Patrick Beverley on him.

Murray bounced back from his poor showing in Game 1 with 27 points in a Game 2 win and will look to do the same in Wednesday's Game 4.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is questionable for Monday night's Game 3 against the Los Angeles Clippers because of a right wrist sprain.

Jokic played 37 minutes Denver's 110-101 victory Saturday night, recording 26 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks. The win helped the Nuggets even the series at one game apiece.

The 25-year-old Jokic is among the NBA's fastest-rising stars after he averaged 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game during the 2018-19 regular season.

In 73 games this season, Jokic is put up 19.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists per contest.

Prior to the resumption of the 2019-20 season, Jokic was diagnosed with COVID-19 in his native Serbia, but he recovered and was eventually cleared to travel to the United States.

Denver selected Jokic in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft, and he was an instant impact player after joining the team one year later.

Few big men in the NBA are as versatile as Jokic in terms of being able to score and rebound in the paint while also stepping outside to pass effectively and knock down three-pointers.

Denver signed Jokic to a five-year contract extension two offseasons ago, which suggests the Nuggets view him as one of the key building blocks on a roster that boasts several young stars.

The Nuggets entered last season having not reached the playoffs since 2012-13, but he managed to get them into the second round.

Jokic has largely avoided major injuries in his career and has never missed more than nine games in a single season. In 2018-19, he appeared in all but two games.

The Nuggets have a ton of depth throughout their roster, especially in the backcourt, and there will be added pressure on the guards to handle and score the basketball for as long as Jokic is out.

In terms of the frontcourt, Mason Plumlee is the top candidate to replace Jokic at center, while Paul Millsap will play a strong power forward with youngsters Michael Porter Jr. and Bol Bol also figuring into the mix.

Although Denver has enough talent to enjoy some success without Jokic, it needs him in order to truly compete in the playoffs.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone criticized the NBA for not allowing coaches to bring family members onto the NBA campus. 

Speaking to reporters Friday, Malone called it "criminal in nature" that coaches can't have family in the Orlando, Florida, bubble like players and referees:

As part of the NBA's agreement with the National Basketball Players Association to resume the season, players are allowed to bring up to four family members to the Walt Disney Resort campus at the conclusion of the first round of the playoffs. 

The Athletic's Sam Amick reported in June that family members for "front-office executives, coaches, trainers, media relations folks, et al" weren't going to be permitted on campus for the duration of the season. 

Amick noted Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens "has consistently pushed the league to reconsider its ruling that the families of staff members will not be allowed."

All 22 teams invited to the campus for the season restart had to arrive by July 9.

The NBA Finals could run through Oct. 13, which would mean some coaches and team staffers could go as many as 96 days without being around their families. 

The Nuggets are currently playing the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals. Denver trails the series 1-0, with Game 2 set for Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. missed all but three games during his lone season at Missouri in 2017-18 with a lower back injury that required a microdiscectomy to repair one of two bulging discs in his back. 

Apparently the Los Angeles Clippers team doctor thought his back was in such bad shape that he didn't believe Porter would play hoops again, per comments the Nuggets forward made to reporters on Wednesday (h/t Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN).

"No, their doctor was the one that wrote the report on me," he said. "I think he wrote some stuff like he thought that I would never play basketball again so I didn't think [the Clippers would] pick me."

Porter's answer was in response to a question about whether he's thought about what it would have been like if he had landed with L.A. The Denver Nuggets eventually took Porter 14th overall, right after the Clippers passed on him with the draft's 12th and 13th overall selections.

Porter entered the 2017-18 college basketball season as a potential top-three pick in the 2018 NBA draft, but his draft stock fell because of the injury.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said the process of evaluating and deciding to pass on Porter was "brutal" for the team.

Denver has clearly benefitted from Porter falling in the lottery: He posted 22.0 points on 55.1 percent shooting during his team's seeding games, including a season-high 37 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Porter averaged 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in the Nuggets' 4-3 first-round series win over the Utah Jazz.

Now the Nuggets will face the Clippers in the second round of the NBA playoffs beginning Thursday, and he did have some comments on that matchup.

"But, I mean, it's going to be fun to play against them, for sure," Porter said.

Porter underwent surgery of the lumbar spine in July 2018 and missed the entire 2018-19 season. But he's been healthy in 2019-20, making his debut on Oct. 31, 2019.

The Nuggets didn't feature him in the rotation consistently until mid-January, but he's been largely excellent on the offensive end ever since. He's particularly shined in the Disney World campus portion of the NBA season after an injury to Will Barton opened up some more playing time on the wing.

The showdown between guards Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell captivated the basketball world and dominated the storylines in the first-round series between the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz.  

Murray came out on top with an 80-78 win in Tuesday's Game 7, and the University of Kentucky product gave props to his foe in the aftermath. 

"Respect to the Utah Jazz and respect to Donovan," he told reporters after the victory. "It was a great battle. I don't know what else to say. I'm speechless."

The individual battle was more than just memorable. In fact, it was historic.

As ESPN Stats & Info shared, Mitchell and Murray combined to score a stunning 475 points in the seven games. They broke a record held by all-time greats Jerry West and John Havlicek in the process:

Murray had 17 points in the decisive contest, which was a lackluster scoring performance compared to the standard he set earlier in the series. After his team fell behind 2-1, he dropped 50 points in Game 4, 42 points in Game 5 and 50 points again in Game 6.

As for Mitchell, he poured in 57 points in Game 1, 51 points in Game 4 and 44 points in Game 6.

The two guards traded critical baskets throughout the series, but it was a defensive play that prevented Mitchell from potentially winning it for his team Tuesday. He drove to the basket down two with less than 10 seconds remaining when Gary Harris stripped him and forced a turnover.

Utah still had a chance to win on a Mike Conley three at the buzzer after Torrey Craig missed a layup, but it rimmed out.

Mitchell collapsed to the floor as soon as the shot didn't fall, overcome with emotion after such a grueling series. That it was Murray who came over and greeted him was fitting as the two put on a show that will be remembered for years to come.

Now Murray has to worry about Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray used his platform following an incredible performance in Game 6 of his team's first-round playoff series to continue the fight against police brutality and systemic racism and honor George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Murray conducted an emotional postgame interview and explained he drew strength from his shoes, one of which had a picture of Floyd and one of which had a picture of Taylor.

"These shoes mean a lot," he said. "I just want to win. In life, you find things that hold value to you and things to fight for. And we found something we're fighting for as the NBA, as a collective unit. I use these shoes as a symbol to me to keep fighting all around the world. So like I said, they give me a lot of power to keep fighting."

On the court, Murray helped his team force a Game 7 against the Utah Jazz behind 50 points on 17-of-24 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 shooting from three-point range during the 119-107 victory Sunday.

"These shoes give me life," he said after that showing. "Even though these people are gone, they give me life, they help me find strength to keep fight in this world."

Murray further spoke on the matter during his postgame media session:

The performance and comments came after he started his media availability Saturday by placing the shoes on a stool and walking off. "How long was that? Two minutes?" he asked at the time. "One person on those shoes had a knee on their neck for eight. You just got to think about that."

This was Denver's first game since play stopped inside the Walt Disney World bubble as players considered their next options and whether they would even finish the playoffs in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Players on the Milwaukee Bucks elected not to play in Wednesday's contest against the Orlando Magic, and players on the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder soon chose the same path in their game later that afternoon, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

The league eventually postponed all three Wednesday playoff games, as well as the scheduled games for Thursday and Friday.

Players met inside the bubble to discuss their options, and Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks reported there was a sense that "many players believed that leaving the bubble would take away their platform and felt that real change and awareness can come from working in Orlando on this big stage."

Murray used the big stage he created for himself with a stunning offensive performance to continue the fight for social justice going into Tuesday's Game 7.

Jamal Murray used his first media appearance since the NBA's work stoppage to provide a short demonstration.

At the beginning of his session, Murray left a pair of sneakers bearing the likeness of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd on the table ahead of him and sat silent for two minutes.

Murray explained the act moments later:

"I just wanted it to resonate with you guys and anybody else that is watching. How long was that? Two minutes? One person on that shoe had a knee on the neck for eight [minutes and 46 seconds] ... it doesn't take me, a 23-year-old, to recognize that's not right and that should be in everybody's mind.

"If you don't see it that way, then there's a problem with you. I just want to let that sit. That was only two minutes ... only a quarter of a time that somebody had a knee on their neck ... he was a father, and a son, and a brother. It's tough when you really let it sink in your mind and replay it over and over in your head."

The guard went on to restate his point in a succinct manner.

"My skin color should not determine whether I live or die," Murray said.

The NBA is back in action on Saturday after one of the most historic weeks in professional sports.

Following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, the Milwaukee Bucks became the first team to refuse to play a postseason game against the Orlando Magic, a decision that kicked off a wave of MLB, NHL, MLS and WNBA teams to follow suit and opt against playing.

Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake in the back seven times by leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, in the city 40 miles south of Milwaukee.

The NBA would go on to postpone its playoffs for three days as players and owners worked out a series of new initiatives around criminal justice reform, voting access and civic engagement.

"It has been a very emotional time," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "I think when you add everything into this situation, you can understand the emotions that everyone down here is feeling. I think anytime you're away from your family for 54 days, that in and of itself, is hard. When you have the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as a reminder of George Floyd, a reminder of Elijah McClain, Breonna Taylor, and there's so many other names, that kind of was a boiling point."

Malone said Friday's practice was Denver's worst of his five-year tenure as players were still dealing with the emotions of the week.

Murray did his best to explain that emotion on Saturday. He didn't even need to speak to get his point across.

Jamal Murray lifted the Denver Nuggets to a win in Game 5 against the Utah Jazz, but the guard wanted to give plenty of credit to his teammates.

"I can put the ball in the hoop, but we can't do this without everyone," he said after the game, per T.J. McBride of Mile High Sports.

Murray scored 42 points on 17-of-26 shooting Tuesday, adding eight rebounds and eight assists in the 117-107 victory. It helped extend the season with the Nuggets, now down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

The individual performance came after Murray put up 50 points in a Game 4 loss, putting himself in the record books with his huge back-to-back efforts:

Of course, he also learned last game that he can't do it all himself.

Denver provided much help this time out, including 31 points from Nikola Jokic. Michael Porter Jr. and Jerami Grant were also in double figures in Game 5.

Most importantly, the defense improved after allowing the Jazz to score 129 points on 57.5 percent shooting last game. The Jazz were still on fire from the outside (16-of-34 as a team), but Donovan Mitchell was better contained while the team finished with 15 turnovers.

The Nuggets must now maintain their level of play in order to win the two more games necessary to advance to the next round.