<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-generates-buzz-mvp-on-mvp-gesture-nathan-mackinnon');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic generates buzz with MVP on MVP gesture to Nathan MacKinnon');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nuggets-news-Nikola-Jokic-generates-buzz-with-MVP-on-MVP-gesture-to-Nathan-MacKinnon.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic generates buzz with MVP on MVP gesture to Nathan MacKinnon</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T20:15:49-07:00">October 12th, 8:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T20:16:58-07:00">October 12th, 8:16pm</time><address><a>Christopher Smith</a>Christopher Smith is an associate editor covering a variety of sports with a beat focus on the Chicago Sky for ClutchPoints. The Aurora, Illinois native earned a degree in philosophy from Creighton University, where he also competed as a Division 1 Cross Country runner.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets did not escape the second round of the playoffs after the 2023-24 season, but they retain high expectations for 2024-25. The Nuggets are returning <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-2023-24-nba-mvp">three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic</a>, who will be sure to continue leading the team to great heights. Jokic shared a notable moment with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/avalanche-news-nathan-mackinnon-wayne-gretzky-surprise-mvp-win">2023-24 NHL MVP</a> and Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon before the Avalanche’s home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.</p><p>Jokic performed the honor of presenting the Hart Memorial Trophy to MacKinnon for his stellar 2023-24 MVP run, as shown by the Avalanche’s X (formerly Twitter) account:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">MacKinnon 🤝 Jokic</p><p>MVP MVP MVP <a href="https://t.co/g66EfTb6zt">pic.twitter.com/g66EfTb6zt</a></p><p>— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) <a href="https://twitter.com/Avalanche/status/1845274778564702375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Nathan MacKinnon totaled a career-high 51 goals and 89 assists for 140 points (second in the NHL) to win the prestigious honor. Like the Nuggets, the Avalanche did not get past the second round of the playoffs, but they look to make a deep run in 2024-25.</p><p>Fans on X were hyped about Nikola Jokic’s and MacKinnon’s moment on Saturday amid the start of both players’ respective new seasons:</p><p>“Love this so much! Let’s go Denver!” one fan commented.</p><p>“The dynamic duo of MacKinnon and Jokic is unstoppable! MVPs all around!” another fan added.</p><p>“Very cool!! Both MVP’s in the house. Big congrats to both. Denver loves you both!” another added.</p><p>Others could not help but jokingly compare Jokic’s ice skills to Mackinnon’s:</p><p>“Imagine if Joker skated it out to him,” one fan proposed.</p><p>Another fan noted the difference in height between Jokic in MacKinnon:</p><p>[Mackinnon’s] an absolute beast on the ice… Absolute child standing next to Jokic,” the fan commented alongside a laughing emoji.</p><p>Hopefully, Jokic and MacKinnon can continue their incredible runs in the NBA and NHL.</p><p>Jokic’s third NBA MVP award with the Nuggets came after he nearly averaged a triple-double during the 2023-24 season. He and Denver want to continue working hard to bring another championship back to the Mile High City.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic generates buzz with MVP on MVP gesture to Nathan MacKinnon

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/2024-25-nba-media-poll-mvp-luka-doncic-shai-gilgeous-alexander-dethrone-nikola-jokic');   ga('set', 'title', '2024-25 NBA Media Poll: Will Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dethrone Nikola Jokic for MVP?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Will-Luka-Doncic-or-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-dethrone-Nikola-Jokic-for-MVP.jpg"></figure><h1>2024-25 NBA Media Poll: Will Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dethrone Nikola Jokic for MVP?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T09:14:40-07:00">October 8th, 9:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T09:14:40-07:00">October 8th, 9:14am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic has claimed three of the last four NBA MVP awards. If it wasn’t for Joel Embiid during the 2022-23 season, Jokic would have four straight MVP awards. The Denver Nuggets superstar has undoubtedly been the <a href="https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/the-statistics-of-nikola-jokics-mvp-caliber-season" rel="noopener">best player</a> in the league, but the 2023-24 season proved that there are other superstars on the verge of capturing their first MVP honors like Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and even Jalen Brunson.</p><p>Ahead of the 2024-25 season, the race for the MVP award is as wide open as it has been in quite some time. The main reason this is such a wide open race in the preseason is due to the fact that each candidate brings a unique angle to the table.</p><p>For Jokic, he is the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-reached-larry-bird-magic-johnson-status-bill-simmons">most dominant player in the world</a> and has earned the MVP award numerous times. However, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the 1-seed in the Western Conference last year and have proven to be legitimate championship contenders. There is then Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, who are coming off a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals. Perhaps Brunson or another name will also emerge in the MVP race, similar to what happened with Gilgeous-Alexander last year.</p><p>There is so much talent across the NBA right now, making for excellent competition and award races. That is why it is extremely hard to predict who will win the 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player award.</p><p>Although nobody has the answer to who will receive the league’s highest honor in 2025, a total of 30 different media members across the NBA, some of whom are official NBA voters, participated in ClutchPoints’ preseason media poll. Along with being asked about their predictions for the 2025 NBA Finals and how the season as a whole will play out, these media members were asked the tough question of naming their early pick for MVP.</p><p>While the voting was close, the media chose a clear favorite for the 2024-25 MVP award.</p><h2><b>ClutchPoints’ 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player media poll results</b></h2><p><b>1. Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) – 46.7%</b></p><p>2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 33.3%</p><p>T3. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – 6.7%</p><p>T3. Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) – 6.7%</p><p><i>Others receiving votes: Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL), Ja Morant (MEM)</i></p><h2><b>Luka Doncic vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-defends-Luka-Doncic.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Both Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander received consideration for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-2023-24-nba-mvp">2023-24 NBA MVP award</a>. While Jokic won the award with 79 first-place votes, the Thunder guard made a name for himself by finishing second with 15 first-place votes. Doncic got only four first-place votes despite his near triple-double season.</p><p>No matter how you look at these two players, there is no argument against them being the favorites for the MVP award this upcoming season. With just two weeks until the 2024-25 regular season begins, NBA media members are projecting Doncic to beat out Gilgeous-Alexander and claim his first MVP award. In fact, Doncic received just under half of the total preseason votes that were cast.</p><p>The Mavs had a special season last year, as they made it all the way to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Of course, Doncic was the main reason for his team’s success, as the Slovenian star averaged 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from three-point range. Luka led the league in scoring for the first time in his career, and he registered 49 double-doubles in 70 total games, the most by a non-frontcourt player.</p><p>Now that Klay Thompson is in Dallas, Doncic’s job is only set to get easier, as the Mavericks have even more offensive firepower for the MVP frontrunner to play around with.</p><p>On the flip side of things, Gilgeous-Alexander is set to pick up right where he left off. Now, the young guard has a chip on his shoulder and is ready to take the next step after the Thunder lost to Doncic’s Mavs in the second round of the playoffs despite earning the 1-seed in the West. OKC has only gotten better by signing Isaiah Hartenstein and trading Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso.</p><p>In a total of 75 games last season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the floor. He finished second behind Doncic in total points scored (2,254) and fourth in field goals made (796). It is worth noting that SGA was tied with De’Aaron Fox for the most steals (150) and steals per game (2.0) in the league.</p><p>The only difference between Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander is that while the Mavs star is an all-around offensive and triple-double threat, Gilgeous-Alexander is a two-way threat. Should these two be battling for MVP late in the season, the vote could realistically come down to which team finishes with a better record.</p><h2><b>Nikola Jokic, Jalen Brunson viewed as dark-horse MVP candidates</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Nuggets-center-Nikola-Jokic-15-reacts-after-a-play.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>We can’t forget about the other superstar talents around the league who are vying for the MVP award ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season. Jokic is obviously going to be in the running for the award as long as he is healthy, and Brunson is once again going to play the role of the underdog in this race. However, a lot more attention is being given to Brunson and the New York Knicks right now after all of the major moves they made this offseason.</p><p>In addition to bringing back OG Anunoby on a big contract, the Knicks acquired both Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in their hunt for a title. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/how-karl-anthony-towns-trade-helps-knicks-timberwolves-hornets">Knicks essentially look like a make-believe roster</a> on NBA 2K right now since their roster is filled with firepower and talent. Towns, Bridges, Anunoby, and Josh Hart are all the types of players who can thrive off the ball on offense next to Brunson, which is why the overwhelming belief about the Knicks entering the new season is that they have what it takes to possibly take down the Boston Celtics.</p><p>Outside of all the noise surrounding Towns and Bridges, many tend to overlook the numbers Brunson put up last year. Only missing five total games, Brunson averaged 28.7 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from three-point range. Brunson’s career high in scoring is a testament to his ability to thrive in isolation and pick-and-roll sets. It is not hard to say that Brunson is one of the best when it comes to utilizing screens to get to his spots in the mid-range area, where he can often times also draw fouls.</p><p>A 50-win season and possibly taking the top spot in the Eastern Conference over the Celtics would 100 percent result in Brunson taking home the MVP award.</p><p>The big question about the MVP race entering the 2024-25 season is whether or not Jokic can do the unthinkable and claim his fourth award in a five-year span. Only LeBron James and Bill Russell ever achieved such a feat.</p><p>At this point, there could absolutely be some voter fatigue that catches up with Jokic. That is what happened when Jokic didn’t receive as many votes as he probably should’ve for the award during the 2022-23 season.</p><p>What else could Jokic truly do in order to separate himself from the rest of the players in this award race? While Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Brunson continue to improve and help their team reach new heights, Jokic is simply continuing to be great. It will be very interesting to see how his constant MVP numbers stack up with the improvements of others.</p><p>No matter what, these are the four players who will be associated with the 2024-25 NBA MVP award race. Buckle up, because it should be a good one.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 NBA Media Poll: Will Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dethrone Nikola Jokic for MVP?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-biggest-defeat-team-usa-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets Nikola Jokic drops ‘biggest defeat of career’ revelation on Team USA loss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nuggets-news-Nikola-Jokic-drops-biggest-defeat-of-career-revelation-on-Team-USA-loss.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets Nikola Jokic drops ‘biggest defeat of career’ revelation on Team USA loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-03T08:59:07-07:00">October 3rd, 8:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-03T08:59:07-07:00">October 3rd, 8:59am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/olympics-news-stephen-curry-helps-team-usa-ice-serbia-with-insane-comeback">Team USA iced Serbia</a> in the semifinals of the 2024 Olympic Games, Serbian center and NBA MVP Nikola Jokic <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/olympic-games/1722404/nikola-jokic-serbia-team-usa-paris-2024-olympics/" rel="noopener">dropped a shocking take</a> on the loss.<br><br>“It was a good match, probably the biggest defeat of my career,” Jokic said via Eurohoops.net. [We had a] big chance. In the end, they beat us. People from the stands will probably see it as a normal defeat, but for those who played, it was certainly one of the toughest defeats in our careers.”</p><p>Jokic himself had his usual MVP-caliber performance. In the semifinal game, he had <a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-olympics-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401694864" rel="noopener">17 points, 11 assists, five rebounds,</a> and one steal and a block. He played in all but two minutes for the Serbian National Team. Still, Team USA pulled off an improbable comeback and was down by as many as 17 points.</p><p>The Serbian team dominated after their 17-point defeat to Team USA in Group Phase play. After that, the switch flipped for the team and Jokic. They won their next three games before facing the United States again. </p><h2><b>Could Nikola Jokic use the loss to Team USA as motivation for the Nuggets?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nikola-Jokic-gets-honest-about-Team-USA-loss.jpg"><figcaption>© Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s a possibility. Many jokes circulated on social media about the <a href="https://m.facebook.com/NBAMemes/photos/jokic-looks-like-a-whole-new-person-/878816800947381/" rel="noopener">Serbian center looking like a new player</a> for the Olympics. Regardless, his resume is impressive and will continue to grow. He’s an NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP, and a three-time regular season MVP. When Olympic play began, there was a different side of Jokic the world hadn’t seen.</p><p>There was a level of intensity, drive, and passion that NBA fans aren’t used to seeing. Also, it’s completely different to represent your country, as opposed to playing for a specific league. In <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/serbia-population/" rel="noopener">a country with about 6.7 million people</a>, the pride runs deep for Jokic, and his teammates.</p><p>Regardless of losing in the semifinals, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/olympics-news-nikola-jokic-ends-drought">Jokic made Olympic history</a> by becoming the third player to record a double-double in four straight games. Although records don’t mean much to the Joker, it’s still impressive that he’s breaking records so effortlessly. Luckily for Jokic, six of the 12 players are in the Western Conference along with the Nuggets.</p><p>The motivation could rise for Jokic to prove those guys wrong. Not to mention, beating the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns, and the Minnesota Timberwolves could be sweeter than one might think. However, the Nuggets will turn their attention to the preseason that begins on Friday against the reigning NBA Champion, Boston Celtics.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets Nikola Jokic drops ‘biggest defeat of career’ revelation on Team USA loss

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-fulfills-joker-prophecy-with-why-so-serious-line');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic fulfills Joker prophecy with ‘why so serious’ line');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-news-Nikola-Jokic-fulfills-Joker-prophecy-with-why-so-serious-line.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic fulfills Joker prophecy with ‘why so serious’ line</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T20:21:47-07:00">September 26th, 8:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T20:21:47-07:00">September 26th, 8:21pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has endeared himself to fans with his ironic nonchalant approach to the game of basketball. In the aftermath of the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA championship win, Jokic acted as if he wasn’t over the moon over this achievement. He loves to portray himself as someone who would much rather be in his farm in Sombor to tend to his horses, even though it’s clear that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-surprising-answer-excitement-season">Jokic’s commitment to getting better</a> in the game of basketball is nearly unmatched.</p><p>During Jokic’s media day press conference, he was asked why it seemed as though he was becoming more “serious” in interactions with reporters after being his nonchalant, playful self for most of his career. But the Nuggets star <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839386802844791209" rel="noopener">responded in a way</a> befitting of his “Joker” moniker, eliciting laughs from some people in the room.</p><p>“Why so serious?” Jokic said with a straight face, via ClutchPoints on X (formerly known as Twitter).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Joker saying, "why so serious?" at Nuggets media day</p><p>Nikola Jokic is 1-of-1 🤣<a href="https://t.co/eX0lXI6E9f">pic.twitter.com/eX0lXI6E9f</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839386802844791209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Nuggets star then elaborated on the matter, saying that perhaps he’s being perceived as <a href="https://twitter.com/BallinHQ/status/1839354480942522436" rel="noopener">more serious</a> these days since he’s getting up there in age.</p><p>“Uhm, I don’t know. I’m not sure that I’m serious or not. Maybe a little bit. I’m older. Almost 30. So that’s my answer,” Jokic added.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nikola Jokic with the infamous Heath Ledger line 😅</p><p>“Why so serious?” 🧐🃏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAX?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAX</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> <a href="https://t.co/GNx32t2cct">pic.twitter.com/GNx32t2cct</a></p><p>— BALLIN HQ (@BallinHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallinHQ/status/1839354480942522436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Whatever the case may be, everyone who has watched even a second of Nikola Jokic and how he conducts himself on the court knows that basketball is no laughing matter for the Nuggets star. Jokic takes the sport very seriously, and he is very competitive. You can see it in his eyes in every second he spends on the hardwood.</p><p>But outside the court, Jokic appears to have an understanding that life is bigger than basketball. He knows that his performances on the court don’t define him as a person. Perhaps this is where he gets his nonchalant demeanor off the court. And it looks like everyone can learn a thing or two from the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-addresses-new-look-media-day">Nuggets star about having immaculate work-life balance</a>.</p><h2>Nikola Jokic, Nuggets aim for bounce-back season</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nikola-Jokic-and-Jamal-Murray-on-May-19-2024.jpg"></figure><p>It’s safe to say that the 2023-24 season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-michael-malone-fires-back-alleged-failure-2023-title">did not go according to plan for the Nuggets</a>. They fell short in their title defense after running into perhaps the most difficult matchup for them in the league, the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>They also lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, an invaluable 3-and-D role player, in free agency, and that makes it two offseasons in a row where the Nuggets lost a crucial contributor to their title-winning team.</p><p>But as long as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are on the team, the Nuggets have a fighting chance in the hunt for another Larry O’Brien trophy. Jokic and Murray might be the best big-guard duo in the association. Their chemistry is unmatched, having played with one another since 2016, and their combination on the court guarantees at least 50 wins for Denver.</p><p>However, there will be plenty of question marks surrounding the team entering the new season. Will Christian Braun be the answer for them at shooting guard? Can Michael Porter Jr. assume a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-michael-porter-jr-2-bold-plans-kentavious-caldwell-pope-gone">larger role in the offense</a>? How will the Nuggets’ bench unit play now that the ultimate wild card, Russell Westbrook, is leading that unit?</p><p>Given the bloodbath that is the Western Conference, the Nuggets cannot afford to take too much time in figuring things out. But with Jokic leading the way, they can take comfort knowing that they have arguably the best player in the NBA on the roster.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic fulfills Joker prophecy with ‘why so serious’ line

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-surprising-answer-excitement-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nikola Jokic’s surprising answer when asked about excitement for season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nikola-Jokics-surprising-answer-when-asked-about-excitement-for-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic’s surprising answer when asked about excitement for season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T13:25:05-07:00">September 26th, 1:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T13:25:05-07:00">September 26th, 1:25pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-addresses-new-look-media-day">Nuggets are getting ramped up for the season as they had their Media Day</a>, and people are excited to see what they’re going to do this season. One of those people who are excited is Nikola Jokic, which may come as a surprise to some. When asked when things get interesting for him in the NBA, Jokic gave an <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839369514766787022" rel="noopener">interesting answer</a>.</p><p>“Just because I don’t smile [and] don’t laugh doesn’t mean I’m not excited… I’m excited. I just don’t show it,” Jokic said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reporter: “When do things get interesting for you in an NBA season?”</p><p>Nikola Jokic: “Just because I don’t smile [and] don’t laugh doesn’t mean I’m not excited… I'm excited. I just don't show it.” 😅</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>)<a href="https://t.co/4oxGPnx8SY">pic.twitter.com/4oxGPnx8SY</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839369514766787022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>There’s a hilarious narrative that has gone around that Jokic doesn’t have much fun when playing, and when he wins awards such as MVP, he doesn’t show much excitement. With that answer alone, Jokic is tearing down that narrative, saying that he actually does have fun.</p><h2><b>What will Nikola Jokic, Nuggets do this season?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nikola-Jokic.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Denver Nuggets’ season ended earlier than they probably expected last year when they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the semifinals. During the offseason, they lost one of their key players, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and questions arose on how they would replace his production. Along the way, Jamal Murray was signed to a contract extension, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-6-8-million-contract">Russell Westbrook was probably their biggest free agent signing</a> in the offseason.</p><p>Despite questions surrounding how they will perform, the Nuggets still have one of the best players in the world, and he’ll do whatever he can to lead them to success. With leading the Serbia team to a bronze medal during the Paris Olympics, Jokic may be more motivated to get the Nuggets to the Finals once again. ‘</p><p>Whether he does it with a smile or not, we all know now that Jokic is excited for the season to start, and it’ll be interesting to see if he will have another MVP year for the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic’s surprising answer when asked about excitement for season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-addresses-new-look-media-day');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nikola Jokic jokes about ‘menacing’ new look at media day');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/0Nikola-Jokic-jokes-about-menacing-new-look-at-media-day0.jpg"></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic jokes about ‘menacing’ new look at media day</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T13:07:05-07:00">September 26th, 1:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T13:13:26-07:00">September 26th, 1:13pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While one of Nikola Jokic’s new teammates, veteran point guard Russell Westbrook, enters his 16th NBA season, Denver Nuggets’ reigning Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic is entering his tenth. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-weighs-triple-double-battle-nikola-jokic">Westbrook doesn’t want a triple-double battle with Jokic</a> in 2024-25, just as Jokic is sick and tired of the league’s annual media day. One decade into his NBA career, Jokic expressed his displeasure while answering the first question asked on Thursday. The Joker responded honestly in a video posted to the Nuggets’ X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“Every year, it’s the same thing, and I don’t know why we’re doing it every year,” Jokic said. “Everything is the same. Completely the same thing.”</p><p>One thing that has changed is Jokic’s new facial hair. He grew a beard during the offseason, which Nikola says is temporary.</p><p>“I need more compliments. More compliments,” Jokic said. “Yes, that’s changed, but it’s going to go probably away pretty soon.”</p><p> </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Joker isn’t a fan of media day 😅</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a>) <a href="https://t.co/3hcWhookB6">pic.twitter.com/3hcWhookB6</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1839358100996071479?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Adding a future Hall of Fame point guard to the roster is also a change of course for Jokic and the Nuggets. Westbrook, the 2018 MVP, joins forces with the three-time MVP (2021, 2022, 2024) as Denver will look to make its second Finals appearance in two years.</p><p>After Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed a three-year, $66 million deal with the Orlando Magic and Reggie Jackson signed a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers — two members of the 2023 champion Nuggets squad— <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nikola-jokic-pushing-nuggets-russell-westbrook-trade">Jokic pushed for the Nuggets to sign Westbrook</a> over the summer. Jokic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&amp;v=hyple2NuSM0&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2F&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;feature=emb_title">wanted</a> Westbrook as his teammate, per DNVR Sports’ Harrison Wind.</p><p>“I’ve been told that Nikola Jokic actually has been pushing behind the scenes to get Westbrook to Denver,” Wind said. “I’ve been told that Nikola Jokic wants Westbrook in Denver. He wants to play with him. It’s not the first time he’s wanted to play with him.”</p><h2><b>Michael Malone defends Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook signing</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-veteran-point-guard-Russell-Westbrook-joins-Nuggets-MVP-Nikola-Jokic.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Along with Nikola Jokic, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone is also excited to have Russell Westbrook on his team. Malone addressed the signing at Nuggets media day on Thursday while highlighting an underrated facet of Westbrook’s game and justifying his importance to this year’s team.</p><p>“I think when people talk about Russell Westbrook, no one really mentions defense,” Malone said. “They mention how quick he is, how explosive he is, the rebounding, the playmaking,” Malone said. “When we went back and watched as a staff, his defense last year with the Clippers, end of games he was on the opposing team’s best player every night.”</p><p>The Nuggets will face the Boston Celtics in their first preseason game on October 4 in Abu Dhabi.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic jokes about ‘menacing’ new look at media day

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-weighs-triple-double-battle-nikola-jokic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook weighs in on triple-double battle with Nikola Jokic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-hilariously-weighs-in-on-triple-double-battle-with-Nikola-Jokic.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook weighs in on triple-double battle with Nikola Jokic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T11:29:16-07:00">September 26th, 11:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T11:29:16-07:00">September 26th, 11:29am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Entering his 17th NBA season, Russell Westbrook joins Nikola Jokic, the league’s reigning MVP and the 2023 champion Denver Nuggets, in their pursuit of returning to the NBA Finals. The Nuggets, who the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated in the second round of last year’s playoffs, will look to make a deeper push in 2025. After a recent workout video of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-offseason-workout-draws-mixed-fan-reviews">Westbrook drew mixed reviews on social media</a> last week, a reporter asked Westbrook if he’s discussed a potential triple-double race between him and Jokic in 2024-25 in a clip from Nuggets Media Day posted to X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“No, we have not,” Westbrook replied. “And, I don’t know if there’s a race or not, but we have not talked about it at all. Nikola is the best player in the world, and he’s playing at the highest level. All we care about, and he’ll probably tell you the same, is winning basketball games. That’s it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"We have not talked about it all. Nikola [Jokic] is the best player in the world… All we care about is winning basketball games."</p><p>Russell Westbrook on the triple-double "race" 😅<a href="https://t.co/cwICOuXgJD">pic.twitter.com/cwICOuXgJD</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839348136323727657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Westbrook is happy he doesn’t have to scout for playing against Jokic anymore. As the two-time MVP’s teammate, Westbrook <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839351452302746008" rel="noopener">is glad to be</a> on the Nuggets’ side of opposing teams game-planning against the Joker in 2024-25, per NBA’s X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“Good luck. That’s it. You just hope that he misses; there’s nothing you can do,” Westbrook said. “You want to be able to be on a team with somebody that’s literally unguardable, and I’m grateful to be on this team.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Good luck… There's nothing you can do."</p><p>Russell Westbrook on game planning against Nikola Jokic 😅</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>)<a href="https://t.co/3Q6BT48dWg">pic.twitter.com/3Q6BT48dWg</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839351452302746008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><h2>Russell Westbrook’s offseason workout draws mixed fan reviews</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-guard-Russell-Westbrook_3bf51d.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Coming off of a campaign where Russell Westbrook averaged career lows in points (11.1) and assists (4.5), suffice it to say his days over averaging a triple-double (22.9 points, 10.7 assists, and 11.5 rebounds in 2019-20) to compete with Nikola Jokic are behind him. Still, reaching the impressive feat in four out of five seasons in Westbrook’s heyday between 2016 and 2021 will never be forgotten. Perhaps a productive, bounce-back season with the Nuggets in 2024-25 will do the same for fans watching Westbrook practice corner threes in a workout video that went viral last week.</p><p>In the video, the nine-time All-Star shoots deep corner threes with his feet touching the gym’s out-of-bounce line, per BelikeMike’s X, formerly Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Russell Westbrook in the lab putting in WORK 🧪</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/bellikemike?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bellikemike</a>)<a href="https://t.co/hTdTTZfpcw">pic.twitter.com/hTdTTZfpcw</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1837170256692851143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Coming off 2023-24, Westbrook shot at a 27.3% clip from behind the 3-point arc, his lowest shooting percentage in 14 years (22.1% in 2009-10). Fans were conflicted about how often they wanted to see the two-time scoring champion attempting threes in 2024-25.</p><p>In addition to training for the upcoming season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-opens-westbrook-academy-in-los-angeles">Westbrook opened a new school in Los Angeles</a>. Westbrook Academy is expected to serve over 400 middle and high school students.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook weighs in on triple-double battle with Nikola Jokic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-mark-cuban-hits-luka-doncic-nikola-jokic-with-twins-take');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Mark Cuban hits Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic with ‘twins’ take');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Mavericks-news-Mark-Cuban-hits-Luka-Doncic-Nikola-Jokic-with-twins-take.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Mark Cuban hits Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic with ‘twins’ take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T10:03:18-07:00">September 26th, 10:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T10:03:18-07:00">September 26th, 10:03am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made headlines this week <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-212095-mark-cuban-compares-jokic-to-doncic-predicts-nba-players-will-earn-more-than-owners.html" rel="noopener">for his comments</a> on superstar Luka Doncic. In a guest appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s <i>Club Shay Shay</i>, Cuban said he sees many similarities <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-hooper-admission-nick-young">between Doncic’s game</a> and Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic. To Cuban, if you saw either Doncic or Jokic on the street, you wouldn’t suspect that they’re some of the world’s greatest players. However, the moment you see Jokic or Doncic take the floor, every perception changes.</p><p>“If you just saw him, you’d be like, ‘Who’s that chubby dude, right? Oh my God, he can play, right,'” Cuban quipped.”But it’s skill and basketball I.Q. You combine being 6’11” with basketball I.Q. and skill. He can shoot, dribble, pass, and see things through 3 steps ahead. Him and Luka are twins in a lot of respects when you have those elements in your game. There’s always a place for a shooter in the NBA and for somebody who can rebound. But if you can rebound, shoot, handle the ball, and your basketball I.Q. is TOP5 in the NBA, you’re unstoppable.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mark Cuban talks Nikola Jokic</p><p>"Him and Luka are like twins in a lot of respects." <a href="https://t.co/vzYUQekIKD">pic.twitter.com/vzYUQekIKD</a></p><p>— n i k o l a e s t h e t i c (@nikolaesthetic) <a href="https://twitter.com/nikolaesthetic/status/1839080284677091781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While it started as a joke, Cuban’s analysis is spot on. Players like Jokic and Doncic are the best in the world for a reason. Either player’s unique skillset separates them from the field, and it’s also what has both players in the MVP conversation heading into this season.</p><h2><b>How the Mavericks can help Luka Doncic win NBA MVP</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Luka-Doncic-and-Nikola-Jokic-Mavericks-Nuggets.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, the Mavericks will be a must-watch team in the league next season. Following the loss in the championship series, the Mavericks took to the offseason to improve the roster. They added legendary sharpshooter Klay Thompson to play alongside the dynamic duo of Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Thompson’s perimeter shooting fit perfectly alongside Doncic. However, it also will make life on Doncic much more manageable this season.</p><p>Dallas plays a heliocentric style behind Doncic, leading to plenty of clean looks from beyond the arc from plenty of shooters. With Thompson, who has made 14 3-pointers in a game, blended with Irving, who can get red-hot offensively, there’s plenty of firepower beyond Doncic. The Mavericks’ offensive firepower can help keep Doncic fresh all season long. That is huge, especially if Dallas wants to return to the NBA Finals.</p><p>More importantly, the Mavericks’ offensive potential can also spearhead Doncic’s first-ever NBA MVP. Again, the offense is built around Doncic’s scoring and playmaking ability. Having more lethal scoring options next to him will see a significant rise in his assist numbers. The same goes for scoring. It’ll be a fun year for Dallas, especially with Doncic leading the charge.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Mark Cuban hits Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic with ‘twins’ take

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-news-the-truth-about-nikola-jokic-luka-doncics-relationship');   ga('set', 'title', 'The truth about Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic’s relationship');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-truth-about-Nikola-Jokic-Luka-Doncics-relationship.jpg"></figure><h1>The truth about Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic’s relationship</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-18T20:23:00-07:00">September 18th, 8:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-18T20:23:00-07:00">September 18th, 8:23pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic have both <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-jaren-jackson-jr-thought-mavs-luka-doncic-was-myth">shattered the stereotype</a> of the “soft European”. They might not be the most athletic professional basketball players on the planet, but they have more than made up for it with their top-tier basketball IQ, incredible touch from all scoring levels, as well as their ball skills that make them unstoppable scoring forces. Both the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks have emerged as forces to be reckoned with, thanks in large part to the elite play of Jokic and Doncic, respectively.</p><p>The dynamic between the two whenever they inhabit the same spaces has been interesting to monitor. Jokic and Doncic have been very friendly with one another as seen in their interactions during All-Star Weekend as well as before and after meetings between the Nuggets and Mavericks. And indeed, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/dYrCSzX1djI?t=3174s" rel="noopener">there is a “genuine fondness”</a> between the two, as confirmed by NBA insider Marc Stein in an appearance on DNVR Sports’ The DNBA Show.</p><p>“There’s just a genuine fondness there. They get along great and of course that leads everyone to wonder will they ever play together,” Stein said. “They are, I mean when you think about it, two of the five best players in the world come from such a small part of the world, so I think that’s where the bond is. They’re just these all world talents from a very unique and small place on the planet, so the bond… I think they only get closer as pals.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Stein brought up the possibility of a team-up between Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic — something that has been at the back of many fans’ minds. They would create <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-viral-for-messing-with-luka-doncic-during-goran-dragic-celebration">so much magic</a> on the court together, and as ball-dominant as Doncic may be for the Mavericks, one would think that there will be natural synergy between the two should they partner up and hone their two-man game.</p><p>However, Stein is finding it hard to envision a realistic scenario in which Jokic and Doncic manage to join forces in the NBA.</p><p>“It’s hard for me to understand or try to imagine a scenario where one team could find a way to get both of them,” Stein added.</p><p>Fans will have to settle for when the two team up for the Western Conference during the All-Star festivities… at least for now. Never say never; after all, crazier things have happened in the NBA.</p><h2>Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets and Luka Doncic’s Mavericks, vying for West supremacy</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Luka-and-Jokic.jpg"></figure><p>The Nuggets and Mavericks will be among the best teams in the Western Conference yet again heading into the 2024-25 season, barring unforeseen injury woes.</p><p>Nikola Jokic and company will be raring to put their disappointing title defense last season in the rearview mirror. Denver may have lost some key contributors from their title-winning team, but as long as Jokic and Jamal Murray are on the team, they will be one of the most difficult squads to beat.</p><p>Meanwhile, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks are coming off a successful campaign, having made it all the way to the NBA Finals although they lost steam once they reached that point. They brought in mostly the same cast of players, choosing to replace Derrick Jones Jr. with Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall.</p><p>The Western Conference will be a bloodbath yet again, and the Nuggets and Mavericks figure to play a huge part in making it the hellscape that it is.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The truth about Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic’s relationship

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-playoffs-stats-denver');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wild Nikola Jokic playoff stats will get Nuggets fans hyped');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Wild-Nikola-Jokic-playoff-stats-will-get-Denver-fans-hyped.jpg"></figure><h1>Wild Nikola Jokic playoff stats will get Nuggets fans hyped</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-11T07:29:37-07:00">September 11th, 7:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-11T07:36:57-07:00">September 11th, 7:36am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nikola Jokic is arguably the best player in the NBA. Before Jokic, the NBA went through a phase where many of the best players were wings or guards. However, Jokic, along with Joel Embiid, has helped to bring the stardom of the big man back to the league. Jokic has been incredible throughout his career, but the Denver Nuggets star has <a href="https://x.com/statmuse/status/1833866762636468435" rel="noopener">especially stepped up</a> during the playoffs, via StatMuse.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="pl">Nikola Jokic:</p><p>Regular season —           Playoffs —<br>20.9 PPG                             27.7 PPG<br>10.7 RPG                              12.3 RPG<br>6.9 APG                                7.5 APG <a href="https://t.co/8Imsy3AvnF">pic.twitter.com/8Imsy3AvnF</a></p><p>— StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1833866762636468435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jokic finds ways to dominate during the regular season and playoffs. In the postseason, though, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-3-most-insane-things-from-nikola-jokics-game-5-performance-vs-timberwolves">Jokic takes his game to another level</a>.</p><p>The Nuggets big man averaged 28.7 points per game on 54.5 percent field goal shooting during the 2024 postseason. He added 13.4 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.4 steals per outing across 12 games.</p><p>As StatMuse revealed, Jokic has recorded just under 28 points per contest during his playoff career. It is worth noting that the veteran center has appeared in 80 postseason games. Jokic has been extremely consistent in the playoffs which is something many players struggle with.</p><p>Jamal Murray, Jokic’s Nuggets teammate, is known as a player who performs much better in the postseason. He goes from a fringe All-Star to an MVP-caliber superstar once the regular season comes to an end. However, Nikola Jokic also tends to play his best basketball in the big moments.</p><p>Having Jokic and Murray on the same team will excite Nuggets fans. Denver should have an opportunity to compete for more championships with both stars leading the way moving forward.</p><h2><b>Nuggets’ 2024-25 outlook as Nikola Jokic prepares for another big season</b></h2><p>Jokic, a three-time NBA MVP Award winner, has earned the honor in three of the past four seasons. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-2023-24-nba-mvp">Jokic won the 2023-24 MVP</a> following yet another impressive campaign. Again, the MVP is a regular season award, so it isn’t as if Jokic is slacking before the playoffs. He just finds another gear once the postseason gets underway.</p><p>The Nuggets still feature no shortage of talent on the roster. As long as injuries don’t play too much of a role, Denver is on track for another strong season. They fell short of their championship goal in 2023-24, so perhaps Jokic will have even more motivation heading into the new campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wild Nikola Jokic playoff stats will get Nuggets fans hyped

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nikola-jokic-banned-item-loophole-force-nba-alter-dress-code-policy');   ga('set', 'title', 'Will Nikola Jokic’s banned item loophole force the NBA to alter its dress code policy?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Will-Nikola-Jokics-banned-item-loophole-force-the-NBA-to-alter-its-dress-code-policy.jpeg"></figure><h1>Will Nikola Jokic’s banned item loophole force the NBA to alter its dress code policy?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-29T12:21:16-07:00">August 29th, 12:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-29T12:21:38-07:00">August 29th, 12:21pm</time><address><a>Josh Silverstein</a>Josh Silverstein writes for The Association and writes, edits, and produces content for the video team as well. He's a writer for television/film/new media/stage/print and probably a few other mediums he's forgetting. He is also a wearer of many Mediums for those looking to buy him a shirt.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s not often you get to write about someone finding a loophole that actually involves literal <i>loops</i> and <i>holes</i>, but leave it to creative NBA bigman Nikola Jokic to shatter expectations once again. The Denver Nuggets superstar continues to endear himself to romantics everywhere by wearing a banned item at every NBA game he plays in — his wedding ring.</p><p>The NBA has a strict policy prohibiting wearing any type of jewelry during games to prevent injury. They thought this policy was pretty airtight, but Jokic has proven otherwise. Jokic got the idea from a former teammate of his in Serbia to tie his wedding ring to his shoelaces during games.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nikola Jokic laces his wedding ring into his shoes for every game 💍✊</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/ComplexSneakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ComplexSneakers</a>) <a href="https://t.co/VJG5G9pwlw">pic.twitter.com/VJG5G9pwlw</a></p><p>— Guru (@DrGuru_) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1661082093626208256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>He wanted his family to always remain close to him, and technically he’s not wearing it on any body party, so he has escaped a fine thus far.</p><p>A few other players have done the same thing in the past — like Mark Jackson and Kenny Smith in the 90s, and Matthew Dellavedova when he got married in 2017 — and it didn’t lead to league-wide rule flaunting in the past.</p><p>But what if other players start copying Jokic this time, and testing the boundaries with increasingly bulky shoe bling? What if someone’s ring is diamond encrusted and sharp enough to cut someone if the player kicked a leg out?</p><p>Is there any chance the NBA would revisit its dress code policy to disallow jewelry even on shoes or other accessories? Or are they afraid of the unflattering press banning wedding rings on shoes might engender?</p><p>It does kind of sound like a policy the villain character in a sports-themed <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chiefs-news-hallmark-christmas-movie-gets-bombshell-update">Hallmark movie</a> rom-com might undertake.</p><p>Jokic and his wife, Natalija Jokic, have known each other since they were kids and are high school sweethearts. They grew up together in the same town of Sombor, Serbia. He’s won two MVPs and an NBA championship since they got married. Wearing the ring on his shoe is a symbol of all that. Does the NBA really want to be a wet blanket on their love story?</p><p>We’ll just have to wait and see if the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-kevin-durant-wants-nba-dress-code-changed-for-coaches">NBA’s dress code</a> policy is adjusted at all to address the Jokic <i>loophole</i> loophole. For now, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-viral-for-messing-with-luka-doncic-during-goran-dragic-celebration">Nikola Jokic</a> can go on making all other NBA husbands look bad for not doing the same thing.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Will Nikola Jokic’s banned item loophole force the NBA to alter its dress code policy?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavs-news-luka-doncic-best-nikola-jokic-impression');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Luka Doncic does best Nikola Jokic impression');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mavs-news-Luka-Doncic-does-best-Nikola-Jokic-impression.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Luka Doncic does best Nikola Jokic impression</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-28T00:58:56-07:00">August 28th, 12:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-28T00:59:28-07:00">August 28th, 12:59am</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Not only are the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic the best players on their teams, but they are also close friends off the court. As a result, fans have speculated that one day perhaps the two European stars might suit up for the same NBA team, but for the moment they remain rivals in the competitive Western Conference. Still, though, upon Doncic’s return to his home country Slovenia, he channeled his inner <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nikola-jokic-passion-for-horse-racing-once-made-him-quit-basketball">Nikola Jokic, an avowed horse racing aficionado</a>.</p><p>With a camera crew following close behind, Doncic spent the day on his family farm, doing everything from inspecting cheeses to driving around a tractor. When asked if he wants to run a farm in the future, the Slovenian superstar said he would like to do it, since he enjoys working on a farm and admiring the landscape.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Luka spends a day at the farm back home in Slovenia! 🇸🇮🌾🚜 <a href="https://t.co/8LX9WZvX95">pic.twitter.com/8LX9WZvX95</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1828442995747705222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>The Mavericks’ future</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Luka-Doncic-and-Nikola-Jokic-interacting-after-a-game.jpg"><figcaption>© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>After Nikola Jokic won an NBA title in 2023, Luka Doncic said it was his turn to advance to the Finals. Though the Mavericks fell short to the Boston Celtics in five games, this recent run solidified Doncic’s claim as one of the best players in the world.</p><p>With Kyrie Irving as a partner, Doncic <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/luka-doncic-stats-in-the-2024-playoffs" rel="noopener">nearly averaged</a> a triple-double in 22 games during the last postseason. He put up 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists on their way to the Finals, their first appearance since Dirk Nowitzki’s legendary 2011 championship run.</p><p>During the offseason, the team also became active in upgrading the roster. Perhaps their biggest acquisition is former Splash Brother <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-dallas-completes-klay-thompson-acquisition-in-historic-6-team-trade">Klay Thompson, whom the Mavericks landed</a> in a sign-and-trade. Despite all the injuries, Thompson’s shooting ability should help spread the Mavs’ offense and allow Kyrie and Luka to dissect the defense through their dribble penetration.</p><p>However, Thompson’s addition shouldn’t make fans think they have formed a Big Three like the Phoenix Suns. The Mavericks are still firmly Luka Doncic’s, and in some games, Kyrie’s. Instead, fans should think of Thompson as a release-valve for the offense, a la Mike Miller or late-career Ray Allen on the Miami Heat.</p><p>The Mavs should be fun to watch next season.</p><h2><b>The Nuggets’ future</b></h2><p>Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets might face a downward trend this season. First, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-news-kentavious-caldwell-pope-leaving-nuggets-for-orlando">Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed with the Orlando Magic</a> in free agency, meaning the Nuggets lost their best two-way guard and vital contributor to their 2023 title. Next, Jamal Murray’s poor Olympics play does not bode well for his future with the team, particularly with contract extension talks coming up.</p><p>While fans should pull for Murray to play his way out of his slump, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. should still help them win a bunch of games.</p><p>However, the jury is still out on whether Christian Braun can provide the same spark as KCP on both sides of the ball. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-6-8-million-contract">Nuggets also added Russell Westbrook</a>, but at this stage of his career, his production might not be enough to offset cold streaks from the starters.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Luka Doncic does best Nikola Jokic impression

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-viral-for-messing-with-luka-doncic-during-goran-dragic-celebration');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic goes viral for messing with Luka Doncic during Goran Dragic celebration');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Nikola-Jokic-goes-viral-for-messing-with-Luka-Doncic-during-Goran-Dragic-celebration.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic goes viral for messing with Luka Doncic during Goran Dragic celebration</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-25T11:21:50-07:00">August 25th, 11:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-25T11:21:50-07:00">August 25th, 11:21am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Sunday, several NBA stars were in attendance for recently retired guard Goran Dragic’s “Night of the Dragon” game, which took place in Slovenia. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-nikola-jokic-dallas-dirk-nowitzki">Slovenian sensation Luka Doncic</a> of the Dallas Mavericks and reigning league <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/olympics-news-money-nikola-jokic-spent-serbia-team-rolex-watches">MVP Nikola Jokic</a> were two of the names in the house for Dragic’s celebration, which also included former NBA legends like Chris Bosh.</p><p>Doncic and Jokic have long been known to have a friendly relationship with one another while being arguably the two best players in the NBA, <a href="https://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/nikola-jokic-clowning-luka-doncic-goran-dragic-celebrity-game/638095" rel="noopener">and that camaraderie</a> continued over into the festivities this weekend, when the duo could be seen sharing several lighthearted moments with one another, per RP Salao of Larry Brown Sports.</p><p>At one point, Jokic poured water over Doncic while the two were on the bench.</p><p>The two also were teammates during the game and made some fun plays on the court, including a fast break attempt (which was really more like a slow break) in which neither player appeared to want to actually shoot the basketball.</p><p>Jokic also threw an alley oop to himself off the backboard and finished it off with a dunk, something that he almost never does in the NBA.</p><p>While Doncic and Jokic may be two of the fiercest competitors on the court in the NBA, the game on Saturday was a reminder that they both also have a more lighthearted side as well.</p><p>In addition to the aforementioned names, other players in attendance included Dirk Nowitzki, Nikola Vicevic, Boban Marjanovic, Robin Lopez, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, among others.</p><p>Meanwhile, Goran Dragic enjoyed a highly successful NBA career that included stints with the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat, whom he helped lead to the NBA Finals during the 2020 NBA Bubble season.</p><p>In any case, the effect that Dragic had on his time in the NBA was felt on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic goes viral for messing with Luka Doncic during Goran Dragic celebration

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mavericks-news-luka-doncic-nikola-jokic-dallas-dirk-nowitzki');   ga('set', 'title', 'Luka Doncic-Nikola Jokic potential Mavericks partnership gets Dirk Nowitzki take');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mavericks-news-Luka-Doncic-Nikola-Jokic-potential-Dallas-partnership-gets-Dirk-Nowitzki-take.jpg"></figure><h1>Luka Doncic-Nikola Jokic potential Mavericks partnership gets Dirk Nowitzki take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-23T16:50:57-07:00">August 23rd, 4:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-23T16:50:57-07:00">August 23rd, 4:50pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Will Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, who are known for their friendship in addition to being NBA superstars, ever join forces in the league? And if so, will it be with the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets or elsewhere? Well, Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki unsurprisingly <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1709169/dirk-nowitzki-nikola-jokic-luka-doncic-alex-mumbru-germany-night-of-the-dragon/" rel="noopener">would prefer for it to occur</a> in Dallas, via Cesare Milanti of eurohoops.net.</p><p>“I hope that would be in Dallas,” Nowitzki <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1827113214645301472" rel="noopener">said recently</a>. “I’m not sure if that will ever happen, but obviously both are two of the best players in the world. If now the best players in the world. They both have a great relationship with each other, they respect each other and like each other genuinely. They spend time with each other. I’m not sure, but of course, we want Luka in Dallas as long as we can.</p><p>“Hopefully, he finishes his career there, but I love Jokic’s game, how he plays the game with passion, and the skill level as a big is unbelievable. They’re both incredible players.”</p><h2><b>Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic’s friendship</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Luka-Doncic-and-Nikola-Jokic-during-Nuggets-Mavericks-game-in-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-did-nikola-jokic-recruit-luka-doncic-during-all-star-weekend">Doncic and Jokic’s friendship is strong</a>. It is also quite entertaining as the two often act like brothers whenever they are around one another. The Mavs and Nuggets stars have consistently found ways to hilariously <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-hilariously-flames-luka-doncic-nba-all-star-game">taunt one another during NBA All-Star Weekend</a>, leading to some memorable moments.</p><p>Again, they also happen to be two of the best players in the NBA. In fact, one could even make the argument that Jokic and Doncic are the two best players in the league right now. Of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards and Giannis Antetokounmpo may have something to say about that. Nevertheless, Doncic and Jokic have been “incredible players,” as Nowitzki said.</p><p>So is there a realistic path to Jokic joining Doncic in Dallas?</p><h2><b>Could the Mavs add Jokic?</b></h2><p>The Nuggets obviously have no plans of moving on from Jokic. They are playing to win a championship so rebuilding is currently off the table. Jokic is also under contract through the 2027-28 season (player option in 2027-28).</p><p>Doncic, meanwhile, is under contract through the 2026-27 campaign and he has a player option in 2026-27. Dallas would love to sign the 25-year-old to an extension at some point, however.</p><p>Jokic will be 32 years old at the end of his deal. He will likely still be among the best players in the league at that point. Doncic will only be 28 years old that season.</p><p>Of course, Dallas would have to make it work from a financial standpoint. Luka Doncic is going to earn a maximum deal. Kyrie Irving would be in his mid-30’s by then and he has a player option for the 2025-26 season. Irving has seemingly enjoyed playing in Dallas so far, but there are no guarantees that he will still be with the Mavericks by 2027-28.</p><p>The Mavericks will want to ensure that Doncic has at least one or two stars alongside him. The idea of adding Jokic could catch their attention.</p><p>For now, Doncic and Jokic will place their focus on leading their teams during the upcoming 2024-25 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Luka Doncic-Nikola Jokic potential Mavericks partnership gets Dirk Nowitzki take

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/olympics-news-money-nikola-jokic-spent-serbia-team-rolex-watches');   ga('set', 'title', 'How much money Nikola Jokic spent buying Serbia team Rolex watches');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Olympics-news-How-much-money-Nikola-Jokic-spent-buying-Serbia-team-Rolex-watches.jpg"></figure><h1>How much money Nikola Jokic spent buying Serbia team Rolex watches</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-23T16:49:03-07:00">August 23rd, 4:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-23T16:49:03-07:00">August 23rd, 4:49pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic purchased Rolex watches as gifts for the Serbian national team members who competed in the 2024 Olympic Games and secured the bronze medal, as reported by Blic.</p><p>The Rolex model Jokic <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/olympic-games/1709294/nikola-jokic-reportedly-buys-rolex-watches-for-entire-serbian-team/" rel="noopener">selected for his teammates</a> is priced at $32,500 each. Altogether, the Nuggets center spent $375,500 on eleven watches.</p><p>The Denver Nuggets’ star is entering the second year of his five-year, $276 million contract.</p><p>It was indeed a generous gesture by Jokic, marking a memorable Olympic tournament for Serbia with a special gift for his teammates.</p><h2><b>Nikola Jokic’s incredible Olympics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Serbias-Nikola-Jokic-celebrates-after-bronze-medal-win.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>During this Olympic run, Jokic made history by becoming the first player ever to lead the tournament in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.</p><p>After nearly toppling Team USA in the semifinals and coming just minutes away from securing a spot in the gold medal game against France, Serbia couldn’t close the deal.</p><p>However, Serbia bounced back strongly in the bronze medal game, defeating reigning world champions Germany 93–83.</p><p>Jokic delivered an impressive performance, recording a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, ensuring a podium finish for his team.</p><p>For Nikola Jokic, it was his second Olympic medal, following the silver he earned with Serbia at the 2016 Rio Games. Atlanta Hawks wing, Bogdan Bogdanovic, who scored 16 points, was also part of that team.</p><p>This victory also avenged their previous loss to Germany in the FIBA World Cup held in Manila.</p><p>Jokic posted averages of 18.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game during the Paris Olympics.</p><p>Although a few of Jokic’s Olympic teammates are in the NBA, most of them play professionally elsewhere.</p><h2><b>Serbians in the NBA</b></h2><p>One of Jokic’s teammates, Aleksa Avramović, was nearly flawless from beyond the arc against Team USA, drawing notable interest from NBA teams.</p><p>His proficiency with three-pointers caught the attention of the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Clippers, who were particularly keen on his skills.</p><p>Although <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nikola-jokic-serbian-teammate-shut-down-nba-teams-despite-interest">Avramović had the opportunity</a> to use an NBA exit clause, he chose to remain in Europe. Despite interest from the Atlanta Hawks, no formal offer materialized, leading him to continue his career overseas.</p><p>Avramović averaged 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals across six Olympic games. This bronze medal was his second with the national team, following a silver at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.</p><p>Another one of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nuggets-linked-trade-nikola-jokic-friend-catch">Jokic’s teammates and close friend</a>, Vasilije Micic, now with the Charlotte Hornets, could potentially land with the Nuggets. However, Denver might hesitate due to the salary cap considerations.</p><p>“With a salary of $7.7 million this season and an $8.1 million team option in 2025-26, Vasilije Micić continues to be mentioned as a potential down-the-road trade target for Denver given Micic’s close relationship with Nuggets star Nikola Jokić,” according to a report from Marc Stein.</p><p>Jokic, who averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game, recently earned his third MVP award in four seasons. Despite his stellar performance, the Nuggets fell to Minnesota in seven games during the second round, ending their title defense campaign.</p><p>The Joker will remain the centerpiece for the Nuggets for the foreseeable future, delivering precise passes from the high post and setting up his teammates for success.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.4	12.4	9.0	0.9	1.4

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.4	12.4	9.0	0.9	1.4

Nikola Jokić news

Nikola
Jokić news