Nikola Jokic has posted triple-doubles in his first two games of the season.
Jokic will try to push his streak to three straight games when the Denver Nuggets tip off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Denver is coming off a 133-111 home win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. Jokic finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists and took only eight shots from the field. He preferred to put the spotlight on his teammates before they traveled north to face Minnesota.
For example, Jokic said, Aaron Gordon can do things on the court that amaze even him. Gordon scored 50 points in the season opener and followed up with 17 points in the second game, including a 360-degree dunk that made highlight reels from coast to coast.
Jokic, who lobbed the pass to Gordon, had no idea that a 360-degree dunk was coming.
“That’s all him,” Jokic said. “He’s a freak of nature.”
The Timberwolves will be without their top player. Star guard Anthony Edwards will reportedly be sidelined for two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Edwards exited Sunday’s 114-110 home win against the Indiana Pacers early in the first quarter, finishing with five points after averaging 36 in the first two games.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said his team will handle the challenge of Edwards’ absence.
“We have a ton of experienced guys that we’re able to play,” Finch said.
That group includes Julius Randle, who scored a team-high 31 points on 11-for-18 shooting on Sunday night. Randle also led the team with six assists.
“It was outstanding,” Finch said. “Just put the ball in his hands, (and we) felt confident that he was going to get a clean look.”
As Randle looks for more clean looks, second-year bench player Jaylen Clark could be asked to do more of the dirty work on defense against the Nuggets. Clark earned playing time as a rookie because of his energy on defense, and he has brought it again to start his second season.
Sometimes, Finch assigns the 6-foot-5 Clark to defend much taller stretch forwards.
“He does a great job of getting up under people,” Finch said. “Sometimes those skilled combo forward guys with great size, sometimes the best thing to do is put smaller guys on them to take away their space.”
Nuggets newcomer Cameron Johnson will play his third game with his new team since coming over from the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson scored five points on 2-for-8 shooting in the season opener and followed up with 15 points in his second game on 4-for-9 shooting.
Jokic said the team and Johnson would continue to improve as they played more often together.
“We respect each other,” Jokic said. “We’re still kind of trying to know each other.
“Cam, I told him he cannot try to fit in. He needs to be himself. I think, more and more, he’s going to do that and be more aggressive,” Jokic continued. “But yeah, we respect each other. We space, and if someone is open, we’re going to find him.”
–Field Level Media
