Nikola Jokic Assigns Blame for Nuggets' Game 4 Loss vs. Thunder
The Denver Nuggets came up short on Sunday night in Game 4 of their NBA playoffs second-round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Denver was in a position to take a commanding 3-1 lead by securing a home win at Ball Arena on Sunday, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder had other ideas.
Advertisement
OKC fought hard for a 92-87 win to tie this series at 2-2 heading to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Nikola Jokic, who finished Sunday's loss with a game-high 27 points on 7-of-22 shooting, 13 rebounds, three assists, four steals and two triples, spoke to reporters after the game to try and shed light on this deflating defeat.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) complains during a game.Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
When asked about his shooting struggles over the past couple of games, Jokic credited the Thunder's effective defensive schemes against him.
"They're playing really good defense on me," he said. "They're really into my body, handsy, physical. I think I missed two or three open looks tonight, so it's a little bit of everything. They're shrinking the floor for me. They're having a guy behind a defender, so it's a little bit of everything.
Advertisement
"I need to do a better job, of course, but it's part of the game."
Jokic clearly believes that it's on him to make the necessary adjustments. He knows how great a player he is, and he is determined to play much better as this series winds down.
Jokic then went into detail about a specific sequence late in the game where he felt he came up short for his team.
"I think I had a hook at (the) fourth quarter, I had an open hook," continued the three-time MVP. "I missed two free throws, big two free throws, I messed up. We were down four if I made it. We were down two, one possession game. So they scored after that, so it's a six-point, two-possession game or even more.
Advertisement
"So I think we had the chances. We just didn't basically make shots."
While Jokic is more than willing to take full accountability for the loss, he also called out Denver's inability to make shots in Game 4, which OKC took full advantage of.
Jokic will need to be better in Game 5 as they face arguably the toughest road test in their season thus far.
Related: Nikola Jokic Facing Major Accusation From Nuggets-Thunder Game 1
Related: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Had Words for Nuggets Fans After Thunder Loss
Related: Shaquille O'Neal Confidently Picks Winner of Thunder-Nuggets
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shaq Announces He's Not Watching Rest of NBA Finals
The Oklahoma City Thunder played a complete game from start to finish on Sunday evening, tying the NBA Finals at one game apiece with the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder were able to defend their home court with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, getting their first win of the series after their thrilling and dramatic Game 1 loss. Advertisement The Finals have delivered on the hype so far, with stars like Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander putting up big numbers and making iconic moments. Basketball fans are eagerly awaiting the next game in the series, but one former NBA champion says he won't be watching. After the Thunder tied the series on Sunday night, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith joined NBA TV for post game coverage. O'Neal took the opportunity to express his gratitude that he could leave after Game 2, as Charles Barkley would join post game coverage for the next two games in Indiana. 'Indiana stole one. I'm just glad it's not the old format, that 2-3-2. Remember that format? That 2-3-2? So now we have a series. I won't even be watching,' O'Neal admitted. Advertisement The old Finals format would have resulted in three straight games in Indiana, which could have had adverse effects on Oklahoma City - the higher seed - playing three straight games on the road. 'I'm gonna be in the Bahamas," O'Neal said. His fellow panelists reminded him that he could still watch the game from his vacation, but he doubled down. 'Not in the ocean,' O'Neal said, affirming his stance. Some fans were able to enjoy O'Neal's candor as a funny moment, but some have expressed concern and outrage about how he's covered the league this season. Earlier this year, O'Neal admitted to not watching the Detroit Pistons despite the fact that they were a playoff team and had been one of the most compelling stories in basketball. Advertisement O'Neal, Barkley, Smith and Ernie Johnson will be heading to ESPN next year for a revival of "Inside the NBA." The show has come under fire for the lack of actual basketball analysis from some, but O'Neal's comments seem to indicate that more of the same could be on the way, even at a new network. Shaq Announces He's Not Watching Rest of NBA Finals first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 9, 2025
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ja Morant Sends 9-Word Message on NBA's Unexpected MVP Decision
Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies were the second seed in the Western Conference on Feb. 27, but they couldn't produce when it counted most. The club slid all the way to the eighth seed by the end of the regular season and fired head coach Taylor Jenkins in the process. It then lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first Play-In game before winning the do-or-die second Play-In match vs. the Dallas Mavericks. Advertisement However, the glory was short lived, as they got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. The latter team is now in a second-round bout with the Denver Nuggets, who they'll host for Game 7 on Sunday. The series features the top two MVP candidates in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15), Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0), and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2).Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images The NBA still hasn't announced the winner yet, and Morant sounded off about the unusual delay on social media. 'They got to see who wins the series first,' the Murray State alum said. He was responding to Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland, who asked 'Anybody else wondered why they haven't announced MVP yet?' The NBA taking this long to announce MVP has been an unexpected decision among fans, and clearly players as well. Last season, Jokic was announced as league MVP on May 8, 2024 (via NBA). Advertisement Gilgeous-Alexander won the scoring title this season with 32.7 points per game on 51.9 percent shooting (37.5 percent 3 PT). On the other hand, Jokic was third with 29.6 points, ninth with a 57.6 percent field goal clip, third with 12.7 rebounds, and second with 10.2 assists. The 2014 second-round pick also shot 41.7 percent from deep. Whoever wins Game 7 will have homecourt advantage over the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. Related: Scotty Pippen Jr. Facing Backlash for Ja Morant Message After Grizzlies' Loss Related: Grizzlies Announce Ja Morant News Before Lakers Game
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
NBA Finals Latest Odds Entering Game 3: Series Winner, MVP, Series Leaders
After two games of the NBA Finals, regular season MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is well on his way to winning Finals MVP while leading the series in scoring. After two games of the NBA Finals, regular season MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is well on his way to winning Finals MVP while leading the series in scoring. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As far as oddsmakers were concerned, there were three sure things going into the 2025 NBA Finals between the Pacers and the Thunder: 1) The Thunder had the upper hand (to say the least) 2) It was going to take something shocking for anyone besides Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win Finals MVP 3) SGA was also going to lead this series in scoring As expected, the Thunder are in firm control of this series at it heads to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4. And barring injury, Gilgeous-Alexander -- who has already scored 72 points in this series -- is going to comfortably lead the Finals in scoring. In fact, SGA's odds to win Finals MVP and score the most points in the series are no longer available at a number of sportsbooks. NBA Finals Winner Odds (as of June 10) The Pacers' Game 1 comeback showed they're no pushover. Still, the top sportsbooks all see Indiana as major underdogs as the series shifts to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indy for Games 3 and 4. DraftKings FanDuel bet365 Thunder -525 -550 -550 Pacers +400 +410 +400 NBA Finals Series Leader Odds (as of June 10) NBA Finals Series Made Threes Leader Odds, Analysis, Pick Player (3-pt shooting through Game 2) DraftKings FanDuel bet365 Aaron Nesmith (7-of-15) +135 +105 +120 Lugentz Dort (6-of-12) +180 +240 +220 Tyrese Haliburton (5-of-15) +210 +310 +275 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (4-of-10) +2000 +1800 +1800 Each of the four players listed above has a compelling case after two games. Nesmith, the current favorite, has been red-hot from deep throughout the playoffs. He's shooting 49.5 percent from 3 this postseason, including just under 47 percent vs. the Thunder on plenty of volume (7 3PA in Game 1, 8 3PA in Game 2). The balance of the Thunder, plus Dort's own inconsistency from outside, makes him a wild card. In 18 playoff games this year, he's drained at least four threes five times, but he's also had seven games where he made one 3-pointer or fewer. Haliburton's high usage rate makes him a good bet to get plenty of looks. But against a Thunder team that has held him to just 9-for-26 shooting (34.6 percent) from deep in four matchups this year, he doesn't offer a ton of value at his current odds. Best bet: Nesmith (+135 at DraftKings) NBA Finals Series Assists Leader Odds, Analysis, Pick Player (assists through Game 2) DK FD bet365 Tyrese Haliburton (12) -200 -170 -200 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11) +155 +125 +160 Jalen Williams (11) +2000 +1300 +1600 Andrew Nembhard (10) +5000 +3200 +3300 There's no denying Haliburton's ceiling as a passer, but he's hardly carved up the Thunder in any of the four games he's played against them this year. Since dishing out eight assists the first time these teams met back in December, Haliburton has recorded 3, 6 and 6 assists in the most recent IND vs. OKC matchups. Before we go any further, consider Haliburton and SGA's head-to-head assists-per-game numbers in 2024-25, including both the regular season and the Finals: Haliburton apg vs. OKC: 5.5 in reg. season; 6.0 in Finals; 5.75 apg overall Gilgeous-Alexander apg vs. IND: 8.0 in reg. season; 5.5 in Finals; 6.75 apg overall With that in mind, SGA strikes us as the best bet here, though he's much less tempting at the current best price of +160 at bet365 than he was when we recommended him at +500 at DK prior to Game 1. OKC's star point guard finished Game 1 with just three assists as the Pacers made him into a shoot-first player in the series opener (he tied his playoff-high with 30 field-goal attempts), but he was back to facilitating in Game 2, with 8 assists and 21 FGA. Another reason to like SGA is his consistency. He has had at least eight assists in five of OKC's last seven games dating back to the Western Conference Finals vs. Minnesota. He has also had at least six dimes in 14 of 18 playoff games this year. Unless Haliburton explodes for a couple monster assist nights in this series (which we certainly shouldn't rule out), I like SGA's consistency to allow him to win this battle. Best bet: Gilgeous-Alexander (+160 at bet365) NBA Finals Series Rebounds Leader Odds, Analysis, Pick Player (rebounds through Game 2) DK FD bet365 Isaiah Hartenstein (17) +140 +140 +150 Pascal Siakam (17) +145 +145 +150 Chet Holmgren (12) +225 +390 +350 Aaron Nesmith (16) +2000 +1300 +1200 There's another intriguing battle unfolding on the glass. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Pascal Siakam all have a real chance to lead the series in rebounding. Hartenstein has been coming off the bench in this series. But that hasn't stopped him from putting together by far the best per-minute rebounding numbers of any player in this series. After grabbing nine boards in just 17 minutes in Game 1, he pulled down eight more in 22 minutes in Game 2. As long as you trust Hartenstein to hold up well enough defensively against the Pacers to consistently log 25 minutes or so per game, he's a great bet to lead the series in rebounds. And after posting a plus/minus of +2 in 17 minutes in Game 1 and +17 in 22 minutes in Game 2, it's hard to imagine him falling out of the rotation any time soon. Holmgren bounced back from an awful night offensively in Game 1 with 15 points on 6-for-11 FG shooting in 28 minutes, but he grabbed just six rebounds apiece in Games 1 and 2. Barring Indiana's spread attack rendering Hartenstein unplayable for OKC, I like him to out-rebound both Siakam (6.5 rebounds per 36 minutes in the playoffs) and Holmgren (10.2 rebounds per 36 minutes in the playoffs) the rest of the way. Hartenstein's per-36 rebounding numbers have been incredible all season, and although we're working with a small NBA Finals sample size, it's worth noting that he's been an even more effective rebounder in this series: Hartenstein reb/36 (regular season): 13.8 Hartenstein reb/36 (playoffs): 12.2 Hartenstein reb/36 (NBA Finals): 15.7 Best bet: Hartenstein (+150 at bet365) Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
