What makes the Celtics the best NBA team, according to Nikola Jokic.
It was a much-anticipated game between the Nuggets and the Celtics on Thursday. That should come as no surprise given that the Nuggets are the reigning champions and the Cs have the best record in the NBA. The atmosphere inside Ball Arena was playoff-like from the moment the game started, with the crowd going crazy.
Thus, even though the Nuggets defeated the C’s, the game was close throughout. The Nuggets appeared to be pulling away, but in the closing minutes, the Celtics managed to tie the game. However, the C’s lost 115-109 in Denver on Thursday because of far too many of their own errors. After the game, two-time MVP Nikola Jokic discussed what makes the C’s such a great team.
Jokic remarked, “They basically have answers for everything.” offensively, defensively, and in terms of matchups. They’re performing incredibly well and are a really well-built team. They are currently the best team in the NBA because of this. Playing against a squad that is tall, long, and has excellent defense is really difficult. They have players that are quite intelligent. It’s an excellent group.
It’s the second time this season that the Celtics have lost two games in a row, so they will now try to turn things around. Despite the difficult setbacks, they are still 48-14 overall and have a 7.5-game advantage over the Bucks in second place. The Cs can’t unwind just yet because there are still games to play, but in actuality, they learned a few things from the defeat.
The C’s did have some success, as evidenced by Jaylen Brown’s 41 points in the game. But the blunders were too many as they were just 16-for-25 from the free throw line while Brown went 7-for-14 there. In addition, they committed 12 turnovers and only made 11 of 38 3-pointers. So the C’s will seek to regroup starting with their next game in Phoenix on Saturday.
“No lead is safe against that team,” stated Michael Malone, the coach of the Nuggets. “They can quickly reenter the game with the way they shoot the ball.”