Nikola Jokic shoots down notion of struggling against teams staggering 3 centers

Following the Denver Nuggets' blowout 149-106 loss in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday, Nikola Jokic shot down the notion of struggling against the OKC Thunder's three centers.

Asked about the challenge when the Thunder deployed their centers in rotation to limit Jokic's efficiency, the three-time NBA MVP responded that it was nothing new for him.

"Since the last 3-4 years, that's what teams are doing to me, so it's not something that I didn't see before," Jokic said. (Timestamp: 3:56)

The OKC Thunder were aggressive on both ends of the floor to secure the Game 2 win to even the series. Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams defended Jokic with great intensity to limit his contribution, while smaller bodies were quick to take advantage of the defense.

However, the Nuggets star didn't make any excuses for the loss:

"Basically, it was one team playing tonight," Jokic said. "They were aggressive. They were going by us. They were rebounding the ball. They were just better. They were much, much better than us today, and that's why the score is so bad."

Nikola Jokic tallied 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, one steal and a block in the loss, shooting 6-of-16. He concluded the game early after being fouled out with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter.

Aaron Gordon defends Nikola Jokic after he fouls out in Game 2

In the postgame interview after the blowout loss on Wednesday, Aaron Gordon came to Nikola Jokic's defense after Jokic was fouled out in the third quarter.

Gordon questioned the game's officiating, alleging that Jokic's reactionary fouls were called but not the first foul that instigated it.

"They are calling the second foul almost all of the time. They are fouling Joker first. You know Jok is reactionary and they do get the second guy a lot of the times. But they are fouling him throughout the game — point blank. Period," Gordon said.

"And it’s a thing you can’t call every foul because you would be calling a foul every single play. But they are fouling him. They are a handsy team," he added.

Nikola Jokic was on the brink of fouling out in Game 1 as well and has gathered 11 fouls in the series so far. While he was often seen pleading his case with the referees, it has all been in vain.

Heading back home after a thrilling victory and a humiliating loss, the Denver Nuggets will look to get back on track in Game 3 on Friday.

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