A “mere” eighteen points and four assists for Nikola “Jock Itch” Jokic is vaguely disappointing until you realize that he accumulated his stats in only 24 minutes of on-court action. This is because he dominated the Lakers so thoroughly that there was no reason to play him the whole game or even most of the game. He could have had another 30/10 game if Malone wanted to ride him, but there’s no point risking an injury to your star player just to pad the winning margin (talk to Bulls fans about that one and you’re sure to get a good response).
The Nuggets’ next four games are against the Clippers, Rockets (twice), and Cavaliers. This will be a good test for the Nuggets to see if they’re legit, and it will also be a good test for the Joker to see if he can consistently step up against elite teams. I expect four straight triple-doubles with at least twenty-five points in each one. If Jock Itch fails to deliver on this goal, I will be very disappointed and I’ll probably have to stop making Jokic highlights forever.