Can Nikola Jokic score 50 points in a playoff game? That’s the question former NBA guard and current Turner Sports analyst Greg Anthony posed when discussing the Denver Nuggets’ postseason prospects. Anthony believes that the truly great players, like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard, have the ability to score 50 points in a game and that Jokic needs to prove he can do the same. Jokic’s highest-scoring playoff game was 43 points in 2019, and Anthony wonders if he can step up and score 40 or 50 points against a great team when everything is on the line.
Former NBA sharpshooter Reggie Miller also weighed in, saying that Jokic needs to demand the ball to close out games, as James and Durant have done over their careers. Miller believes that to win a championship, a player needs to have three or four games where they take over and say, « Give me the ball, I’m going to finish this thing. » While Miller loves Jokic, he wonders if he has that killer instinct to go get it for his team.
Jokic, for his part, says he doesn’t think about scoring 50 points in a game. His goal is simply to win, no matter what. He’s scored 35 points or more in a playoff game eight times, and the Nuggets are 6-2 in those games. He’s also scored 30 or more 17 times, and Denver is 9-8 in those games. While Jokic may not have the same scoring ability as James or Durant, he’s a versatile player who can impact the game in many ways.
In the end, whether Jokic can score 50 points in a playoff game remains to be seen. But what’s clear is that he’s a vital part of the Nuggets’ success, and if they’re going to make a deep playoff run, he’ll need to continue to play at a high level.
Keywords: NBA, playoffs, Nikola Jokic, scoring, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Reggie Miller, Denver Nuggets.
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