Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Saturday evening. Heading into the matchup, the Nuggets had a 3-0 series lead and were on the verge of sweeping the Lakers.

The Lakers were decisively swept by the Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. History won’t repeat itself this year as the Lakers defeat the Nuggets 119-108. The Lakers are fighting for a spot in the playoffs, but the Nuggets are still favorites to win the series.

Jokic put on a great performance with 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. After the loss, Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets took to the podium. The two-time MVP shared a quote that connected his love for horse racing with the NBA playoff race

“Of course we want to win. But I learned in horse racing it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Jokic said via DNVR. “We didn’t finish today really well, hopefully we can do a better job.”

To start off their playoff run, the Nuggets have looked a tad sluggish. In the first four games of the series, the Nuggets have let the Lakers gallop out to large leads. The defending champions were able to mount comebacks in three of the four games. While the comebacks were impressive, the Nuggets definitely don’t want to keep playing from behind.

“We talked about getting off to a better start,” said Michael Porter Jr. via ESPN.

“It takes a lot of energy to come back from these double-digit leads down 20, down 15, whatever it is. Tonight they did a good job of sustaining it. Whenever we got within 10 or eight, it seemed like they made a 3-pointer or made a big shot. So credit to them.”