Nikola Jokic put up another monster performance on Tuesday night, with the Nuggets needing every bit of his 42 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists to beat the Spurs.
That’s largely because Victor Wembanyama posted an even more hysterical stat line, recording 23 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, and nine blocks.
A few of those came against Jokic, including a very fun sequence in the first half in which Wembanyama got the best of the two-time MVP on both ends before Jokic got him back a little bit with a dunk before Wemby could fly in for the block.
Wembanyama’s absurd length did bother Jokic more than most, despite the fact that Jokic had a lot of success against the Spurs. Jokic thought he had buried Wemby under the rim to set up a layup, but the Frenchman’s long arm erased the play. Jokic’s block of Wembanyama in the late fourth quarter was arguably the best of the game.
Denver would eventually prevail 110-105, but Wembanyama has earned Jokic’s respect all the same. When Jokic was questioned about that early sequence and whether he had said anything to the rookie star after the game, he became ecstatic.
“It was funny. I told him if you block one more shot I’m going to (do) something but he blocked like four after that so I didn’t do anything about it,” Jokic said, eliciting plenty of laughter among the reporters present for his postgame presser, via Ball Is Life on Twitter (X).
It’s a great soundbite from Jokic, and it really speaks to how there’s just nothing you can really do to avoid Wembanyama’s impact on the defensive end.
The only way to ensure he doesn’t pile up the blocks is just not attempting shots around him, which was the strategy the Nuggets opted for late and were rewarded with the go-ahead three by Michael Porter Jr. after Christian Braun made a fairly incredible business decision with Wemby lurking.
That’s really the only foolproof strategy for going at the Spurs at this moment, otherwise you’re just going to have to live with some rejections at the rim and hope you get the win so you can laugh about it all after.
