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Nikola Jokic’s buzzer-beater on Thursday night wasn’t enough to prevent Denver from falling below .500 for the season as the Nuggets lost 124-117 at home to the Dallas Mavericks.
With Denver trailing 109-107 in the fourth quarter and 2.4 seconds left on the clock, the Nuggets inbounded the ball directly to Jokic, who made himself available on the left wing after pulling away from Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein.
The 7 foot Serbian received the ball and nonchalantly hit an 18-foot stepback jumper directly over Cauley-Stein’s face to force the game into overtime and cap a 17-point fourth quarter.
True to form for a man who has developed a reputation as one of the most unflappable players in the NBA, Jokic’s celebration stretched as far as a shrug of the shoulders while the Dallas bench erupted.
Both the shot and the Serbian’s reaction—or lack thereof—went viral on social media, with Twitter marveling at how casual Jokic looked as he drained such a difficult shot.
Knew that Jokic shot was good as soon as it left his hand
— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) January 8, 2021
Jokic sent it to OT so casually lmfao
— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) January 8, 2021
Nikola Jokic continues to disprove the idea that it’s too hard to give it to a center at the end of games.
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) January 8, 2021
Nikola Jokic permanently plays basketball like he’s in the driveway against all his younger cousins
— Michael Barker (@bingobarker) January 8, 2021
The two-time All-Star has embodied the definition of clutch player over the last season when he has hit all of his five game-tying or go-ahead shots inside the final 10 seconds of either the fourth quarter or overtime. According to ESPN Stats & Info, that is the most of any NBA player over the same period.
Jokic finished with 38 points, shooting 14-of-31 from the field, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Serbian scored four straight points in the fourth quarter to give the Nuggets a 102-101 lead and Denver then led 107-106 before giving away a three-pointer to Maxi Kleber, which put the Mavericks ahead 109-107 with 2.4 seconds left.
Jokic’s buzzer-beater temporarily saved Denver, but Nuggets coach Michael Malone rued a missed opportunity.
“It should never have gone to overtime,” he told The Denver Post.
“We’re up one with seven seconds to go and we give up a wide-open 3-pointer. All you need is one stop.”
Jokic’s heroics proved futile, however, as the Mavericks outscored the Nuggets 15-8 in overtime with Josh Richardson scoring five straight points to give Dallas a lead it would not relinquish.
Jokic hit a three-pointer to bring the Nuggets within three points, only for Luka Doncic to score four straight points to secure the game for Dallas.
Doncic also finished with 38 points, his season-high. The Slovenian added 13 assists and nine rebounds, falling one short of a second consecutive triple double.
The loss against the Mavericks means the Nuggets have fallen to fourth in the Northwest Division with a 3-5 record and trail the Western Conference leaders Phoenix Suns by three games. Dallas, meanwhile, improved to 4-4 with a second consecutive win and are tied with the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans atop the Southwest Division. They trail the Suns by two games in the conference standings.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday, with the Nuggets traveling to Philadelphia to face the 76ers while Dallas host the Orlando Magic.
Matthew Stockman/Getty
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