Draymond Green on Nikola Jokic: He's going to try and give me 40, 15 and 15 next game

Harrison Wind: Draymond Green on Nikola Jokic: “I feel like he’s going to try and come out and give me 40, 15 and 15 next game…He’s pissed off and he’s coming back with vengeance tomorrow.”
Source: Twitter @HarrisonWind

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Duane Rankin @DuaneRankin
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic #NBA MVP finalists.
FYI: Devin Booker was in my Top 3. #Suns pic.twitter.com/eDaZMdCOok – 6:18 PM Noah Levick @NoahLevick
Joel Embiid is officially an MVP finalist along with Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. – 6:16 PM Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
The MVP finalists are Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo #Sixers – 6:15 PM Gerald Bourguet @GeraldBourguet
Devin Booker misses out on being an MVP finalist behind Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He could still be in the top-5, but he’s not one of the 3 finalists – 6:09 PM Draymond Green @Money23Green
And there’s the difference in the Celtics team. Last year Marcus Smart would’ve taken that shot. Ime got him to buy in and be the Marcus smart everyone loved out of Ok State. BEAUTIFUL! Looking like a true PG again! That’s what made Him special! – 6:08 PM Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba
Draymond on Jokic’s compliments on his defense in Game 1:
“I think most people will be like, Oh man, that’s great. I feel like he’s going to try to come out and give me 40, 15, and 15 next game. So how I feel is he’s pissed off, and he’s coming back with a vengeance tomorrow.” – 5:19 PM Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
MVP award ranking, per our NBA awards poll among media member
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Devin Booker
5. Luka Doncic
6. Jayson Tatum – 5:08 PM Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Draymond Green on Nikola Jokic: “I feel like he’s gonna come out and try to give me 40, 15 and 15 next Game. I feel like he’s pissed off and coming back with a vengeance.”
Full detailed Draymond soundbite on the challenge of defending Jokic pic.twitter.com/XHv4TCd0MH – 5:05 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Steve Kerr on Draymond Green’s podcast: “I don’t listen to his podcast. I listen to him everyday.” Kerr very supportive of Draymond pursuing the projects because he has remained committed to his job – 5:02 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Draymond Green on Nikola Jokic: “He’s the MVP for a reason. He’s possibly the MVP again, we don’t know yet, for a reason…When I’m guarding him, I’m also playing chess. It’s a lot of different games within the game that you have to play against a guy that’s that smart.” – 4:51 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Draymond Green on Nikola Jokic: “I feel like he’s going to try and come out and give me 40, 15 and 15 next game…He’s pissed off and he’s coming back with vengeance tomorrow.” – 4:48 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Draymond Green on Nikola Jokic: “He’s pissed off and coming back for a vengeance tomorrow.” pic.twitter.com/FwotNCJvBR – 4:45 PM Kerith Burke @KerithBurke
Draymond shared how much he enjoys his podcast and how much he prepares for it. He says long term, “I want to be bigger in media than I was in basketball.” Draymond wants to build a media empire and “win all the awards you can win.” – 4:45 PM Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe
Draymond on Jokic: “I feel like he’s going to come back and try to get 40, 15 and 15. … Incredible, incredible player. Very, very TOUGH guard.” – 4:44 PM Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe
Draymond on Jokic: “I feel like he’s going to come back and try to get 40, 15 and 15. … Incredible, incredible player. Very, very touch guard.” – 4:43 PM CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22
Draymond Green says his goal after basketball is to build a media empire. He wants to be bigger in that space than he ever was at basketball. – 4:42 PM Kerith Burke @KerithBurke
Draymond quipped Steph Curry was the best player to ever come off the bench. He said a defense has to start one way and then go “oh sh*t!” when Steph comes in. TBD if Steph comes off the bench in Game 2. – 4:37 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Draymond Green explains how he’s “at peace” internally during the playoffs while still showing his fiery self on the court pic.twitter.com/gjxE7uIaAh – 4:31 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Draymond Green breaks down the Warriors’ defense on Jokic and the team’s three-guard lineup with Curry, Klay and Poole pic.twitter.com/9pSMvtzleV – 4:18 PM CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22
Draymond Green on the Warriors’ Game 1 victory over the Nuggets: pic.twitter.com/XqYCjH8JiO – 4:17 PM Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Can we call the new Warriors death lineup “The Beach Boys”?
Splash Bros
Poole
Wiggins shares “Wi” with Wilson bros
Draymond brings the baritone.
California connection.
Five players moving in harmony, making sweet music and bringing good vibrations. – 2:01 PM Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Potential adjustment from Denver in Game 2: Get Nikola Jokic off Draymond Green and out of the screen action. Jokic seems to be trying to get Gordon onto Green in this clip. Gordon doesn’t do it. Curry gets an open 3.
Easiest solution is probably having Jokic guard Wiggins. pic.twitter.com/bPFYkYS2NB – 12:41 PM Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba
Jordan Poole met the postseason version of Draymond Green in Game 1 vs. the Nuggets.
“He stepped it up a notch.” clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-… – 11:47 AM Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
Nikola Jokic on the series vs. Warriors: “We are underdogs here. But we need to act like the dogs.” pic.twitter.com/RHPLYNe91C – 11:16 AM Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
The Nuggets are down 1-0 to the Warriors. What went wrong in San Francisco last night for the Nuggets, from the large FT disparity to the Jokic defense of it all to being down again after Game 1 again theathletic.com/3254305/2022/0… – 9:13 AM Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Nikola Jokic: The Warriors beat us in everey aspect of the game sportando.basketball/en/nikola-joki… – 9:09 AM Eurohoops @Eurohoopsnet
Steve Kerr on “Hall of Famer” Draymond Green: “As competitive as anybody I’ve ever been around”
That’s something coming from a guy who played with Michael Jordan back in the day
eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/13… – 7:09 AM Eurohoops @Eurohoopsnet
Nikola Jokic: We are underdogs but we need to fight like dogs
eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/13… – 4:46 AM Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
I wrote on how the Warriors — and specifically Draymond Green — contained Nikola Jokic in Game 1: sfchronicle.com/sports/warrior… – 4:10 AM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Steph Curry on if ever feels concerned if Draymond Green can handle a defensive matchup. Steph: “Never.” – 12:38 AM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
The Nuggets finished 0-for-5 (0-2 3-pt FG) when Nikola Jokic was doubled in Game 1. This includes 0-3 off passes from Jokic right out of the double per @espnstatsandinfo – 12:28 AM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Nikola Jokic says that the Nuggets have lost Game 1 in several series before so this is nothing new. “The pressure is not on us. We are underdogs. But we got to act like dogs and fight.” – 12:14 AM Michael Singer @msinger
Nikola Jokic: “The pressure’s not on us. We’re underdogs.” – 12:14 AM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Nikola Jokic was asked if he has to do anything different to get calls in a playoff game than in the regular season. Jokic said he can’t answer that question because he didn’t want to get fined. – 12:13 AM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Nikola Jokic on how he was defended: “Really good. They have Draymond who is how many times defensive player (of the year)… they have the tools. I missed a couple of easy ones but I think they were defending it really well… I just need to at least make layups and easy shots.” – 12:11 AM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Nikola Jokic: “They beat us in every aspect of the game.” – 12:10 AM Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe
Klay Thompson: “Draymond is the best defender in the world.” – 12:03 AM Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
Okay just caught up on Warriors-Nuggets. I’m not just kinda not sure what the Nuggets can do against those Dray-at-the-5 lineups. Not sure what their chess move is that is sustainable. I think they might just have to switch and hope the Dubs miss jumpers? Trust Jokic in space? – 11:56 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Jordan Poole on Draymond Green’s playoff energy: “We feel it. He stepped it up a notch.” – 11:47 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Steve Kerr on Draymond Green’s playoff intensity: “He locks in. You don’t want to be around him too much. He gets antsy.” – 11:40 PM Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
Steve Kerr on Draymond Green: “Draymond’s a Hall of Famer. … He’s one of the best players in the league. Tonight, he showed why.” – 11:39 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Michael Malone said he’ll have to look at the film to see how and why Denver only attempted 13 free-throws tonight. He also adds, “Nikola Jokic played 34 minutes and got to the foul line two times…there were times when his jersey was getting pulled out a lot.” – 11:30 PM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
Jokic didn’t play well, and Denver got blown out. That’s basically what will happen every time Jokic doesn’t play well – it just doesn’t happen much. He can play great & they can still lose, but the first key is getting Jokic into better positions for success & him capitalizing. – 11:14 PM Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
FINAL: Warriors rout the Nuggets, 123-107, to take 1-0 series lead. So many things to like about tonight from Golden State: Poole’s star-like performance, Thompson’s efficiency, Draymond’s defense on Jokic, Curry’s apparent health. – 11:12 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Warriors breeze through a 123-107 Game 1 win over the Nuggets. Lots to like with Jordan Poole’s playoff debut (30 points), Draymond, Klay and Andre bringing their playoff value and Steph easing back into the lineup. – 11:11 PM Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Warriors crisp in Game 1 rout of the Nuggets. Jordan Poole scores 30 on 13 shots. Draymond Green everywhere as screener/defender/passer plus 12 points. Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins did their job. Steph Curry scores 16 in 22 bench minutes as he eases back. Game 2 on Monday. – 11:10 PM Kendra Andrews @kendra__andrews
Draymond Green held Denver to 5-of-19 shooting as the primary defender, including 3-of-12 by Nikola Jokic. Golden State shot 9-of-14 off his passes.
Yesterday, Michael Malone told me Green’s absence was probably why the Nuggets went 3-1 on the Warriors during the regular season. – 11:10 PM Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Warriors held Nikola Jokic to 25 points on 25 shots in Game 1. Only two free throw attempts. Missed all four of his 3s. Ten rebounds. Six assists. Mostly let Looney and Draymond operate against him individually. Sent some late doubles. Nice overall defensive performance. – 11:07 PM Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill
Draymond Green said the fear factor for the Warriors would return once they were healthy. He might be right: pic.twitter.com/VufN0ervd4 – 11:02 PM Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
Excellent game plan from Warriors tonight. Draymond has done a wonderful job making life difficult on Jokic. When Jokic can’t facilitate like he wants, he’s not nearly as effective. The final stat line from him will look solid, but Warriors have to be very pleased. – 11:02 PM Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe
Up 20 with 3:47 left, Draymond tells Kerr to challenge the out of bounds call. And Kerr challenges it. – 11:01 PM Adam Lauridsen @GSWFastBreak
Draymond Green seems to be enjoying being back in the playoffs. – 10:59 PM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
Nikola Jokic potentially playing 35+ minutes in a 20 point blowout is maybe not keeping the powder as fresh as I might like for the rest of the series. – 10:57 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Love going to Wiggins PnR occasionally with the other shooters on the floor, he can attack downhill at Jokic. – 10:56 PM Nick DePaula @NickDePaula
Warriors’ #NBAPlayoffs kicks for Game 1:
• GP2 in the “Cheetah” Kobe 7
• Jordan Poole in the Kobe 11
• Draymond in the Converse BB Jet
• @Andre Iguodala in the Curry 9 Flow pic.twitter.com/36TjfhWvtP – 10:50 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Jordan Poole with 28 points on 12 shots.
Nikola Jokic with 25 points on 23 shots. – 10:48 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
I do trust the Nuggets are a resilient bunch. But they have a lot of work to give Nikola Jokic some help. If not, the Warriors will wipe the Nuggets away with a broom. – 10:47 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
This game again illustrating why I believe, despite possibly being the best offensive player in basketball, it’s so hard to win a championship with Jokic. Putting 2 on the ball 25 feet from the basket just makes it impossible for your D to be good enough. – 10:47 PM Nick DePaula @NickDePaula
Nuggets’ #NBAPlayoffs kicks for Game 1:
• Joker – Nike GT Jump
• Austin Rivers – Adidas Exhibit A x @Eric_Emanuel
• Will Barton in the UA Futr Flow X
• Jeff Green in the Air Jordan 36 pic.twitter.com/6JMi3XjPxi – 10:44 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Iguodala called Poole down for an extended conversation after Jokic threw the pass to the opposite corner. I think what he was saying was, when he’s forced to turn baseline cover the opposite corner because he can’t pass up top. – 10:44 PM Ryan Blackburn @NBABlackburn
Jokic fires a dart out of a double team to the opposite end of the court for a wide open clank.
Really just isn’t the year. – 10:44 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Jokic has multiple out-of-his-mind passes tonight that have resulted in missed shots. – 10:43 PM Danny Leroux @DannyLeroux
That Jokic pass was preposterous.
(you’ll see it in a sec) – 10:43 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
I think because Draymond got hurt when Klay came back and then Steph got hurt when Draymond came back, we all kind of forgot how good the Warriors were earlier this season. – 10:36 PM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
Jokic has 23 of Denver’s 68 points, on 22 shots. No one else has more than 10 points. Very flat opening game. This is not the recipe for a Nuggets victory, but it’s also just one game. The keys for this series were always going to be in the adjustments, and in who could step up. – 10:34 PM Carl Steward @stewardsfolly
Jokic ‘s stamina is amazing but he’s closing in on 30 minutes with the fourth quarter remaining. – 10:33 PM Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Draymond hitting 3s goodnight Denver – 10:32 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Draymond doing all of his amazing things on defense/playmaking + hitting shots. Must mean the playoffs started – 10:32 PM Adam Lauridsen @GSWFastBreak
– 10:31 PM Duvalier Johnson @DuvalierJohnson
Nikola Jokic got his first FTs of the game with 2:36 left in the 3rd quarter.
He has only taken three 3-pointers and has seen constant double teams and not a single FT until that point. – 10:30 PM Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron
There’s less than three minutes left in the third quarter, and Jokic just attempted his first free throw of the night. That’s big. He looks visibly frustrated. – 10:29 PM Michael Singer @msinger
These are Nikola Jokic’s first two free throws of the night. – 10:28 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
31% orebs for Golden State. With Jokic pulled away from the basket they don’t have a good rebounding group. – 10:28 PM Carl Steward @stewardsfolly
That Jokic hook. Frigging automatic. – 10:25 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Nuggets 5-21 from 3. If they can’t hit the 3s that Jokic can generate them (and it’s been fewer than usual due to more 1 on 1 coverage) they’re dead in this series. – 10:21 PM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
Jokic’s one real improvement to work on in the offseason is gonna be that 3 point shot that’s abandoned him in the second half of the year. Just gotta find the rhythm on that shot again. – 10:18 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Jordan Poole has done a pretty decent job on Will Barton in the halfcourt. Just got over a screen on him and made him pick up his dribble, then good pressure from Poole and Draymond to force the TO on the entry. – 10:18 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
The one part of Jokic’s game that regressed from the last 2 years is his 3-point shooting. Hasn’t looked comfortable with that shot in this game. – 10:16 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
I realize it’s Looney as the screener, but I think Warriors aren’t going at Jokic enough in the halfcourt out of pick and roll or handoffs. They’re putting 2 on the ball every time, that’s easy to play out of for a team without great 1 on 1 play. – 10:11 PM Carl Steward @stewardsfolly
Make Jokic work on D. That’s essential in having any hope of neutralizing him. – 10:08 PM Katy Winge @katywinge
Aaron Gordon was PLEADING to the referee saying that foul was on him and not Joker.
Jokić now with 3 fouls – 10:07 PM Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
Jokic will give you 30 with every shot looking like he’s placing a jar of cookies back on top of the refrigerator. – 10:07 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Jokic picks up two fouls in 10 seconds. He’s up to 3. #Nuggets starting to get beat on the offensive glass. – 10:07 PM Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Nikola Jokic took 15 shots in the first half — 3rd-most shots he’s ever taken in the first half of a playoff game in his career. Warriors didn’t send many doubles, seems like they’re OK with Jokic trying to get his instead of piercing them apart. He has 14 points and 3 assists. – 10:01 PM Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Warriors finally go to Curry-Klay-Poole the final 4:23 of half and they finish on 18-6 run. From down one to up 11. Simple formula. It forces Jokic on Draymond. Draymond drags Jokic into a bunch of high screens. Poole, Curry, Klay get open 3s like these. pic.twitter.com/xtlWMFInd2 – 9:51 PM Duvalier Johnson @DuvalierJohnson
Nuggets trail GSW 58-47 at the half.
Defensive breakdowns and not staying attached to their guys have led to open 3-pointers. Pools has 17 pts on 6-6 shooting and Thompson has 14 pts.
Jokic has 14 pts/5 rebs for Denver.
If you’re Malone, what’s your message to the team? – 9:51 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Nikola Jokic: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, -9 in 17 minutes
Steph Curry: 5 points on 2-8 shooting, +11 in 12 minutes – 9:50 PM Henry Abbott @TrueHoop
No one’s reliably effective guarding Jokic, but Draymond Green has caused trouble. – 9:47 PM Michael Singer @msinger
How many halves are the #Nuggets gonna have where they hold Steph to 5 points? Denver down 11 at the break.
Klay + Poole (six combined 3-pointers) killing them. Offensively, only Joker/Barton have brought it. – 9:46 PM Kyle Kuzma @kylekuzma
Give joker the damn ball and get the hell out of the way 🤣 – 9:45 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Aaron Gordon now 1-of-7 with 2 points and 2 boards in 14 minutes. When the Dubs have sent double-teams at Joker, #Nuggets haven’t made them pay. – 9:36 PM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
My bad on an earlier tweet. Jokic has one personal foul. – 9:36 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Jordan Poole is running the unit with Steph, Klay, and Draymond on the floor and its working. – 9:35 PM Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
How long until Draymond delivers a nutshot to Jokic? – 9:34 PM Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe
The lineup is in: Curry, Poole, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond – 9:33 PM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Klay Thompson and Aaron Gordon each get a tech and Draymond Green had to give Klay a light shove to make sure he stopped barking at Gordon. – 9:31 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Klay Thompson and Aaron Gordon both given technical fouls. Man, I thought the first guys would be Draymond and Jokic to draw double T’s in this series. – 9:30 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Warriors seem to be starting to send double teams at Jokic now. – 9:29 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Warriors plan seems to be for Looney, who used to defend a lot on the perimeter, to pressure Jokic anytime he’s dribbling on the perimeter. – 9:29 PM Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Steph is a Bitcoin kinda guy but Draymond and Klay are definitely in the locker room trying to convince him to go in on some altcoins they invested in two years ago. – 9:24 PM Kyle Kuzma @kylekuzma
Bjelica the X factor Either a small or joker guarding him at all times – 9:18 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Malone ends the first quarter with an extended chat with Scott Foster. #Nuggets up 27-26. Joker with 8, Klay with 9. Steph scoreless (and shotless) in 6 minutes. – 9:13 PM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
So far this is what I expected: Jokic having to play defense all over the court as GSW pulls him out, while GSW doesn’t really have an answer early for what Jokic does. I expect a change in coverage for Jokic as the game goes on – doubles are coming. Gotta get him some rest tho. – 9:13 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Denver is doing a great job of limiting Steph — Rivers deserves the lion share of the credit there — and it has helped the Nuggets to a 1-point lead after the first quarter. Warriors trail 27-26.
Jokic: 8 points, 3 assists, 2 steals – 9:12 PM John Hollinger @johnhollinger
Nuggets fans already in bargaining stage: “If we only give up a 12-2 run in these non-Jokic minutes then maybe … ” – 9:11 PM Mike Richman @mikegrich
The weirdest Jokic myth is that he isn’t comfortable guarding away from the rim. The dude has been trapping and chasing on pick and rolls for like three full seasons. It’s what he does! The Nuggets changed their defensive approach to let him do it because he’s good at it. – 9:11 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
The first quarter isn’t even over yet, and so far the Warriors have defended Nikola Jokic with Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Nemanja Bjelica, Gary Payton II and Andre Iguodala – 9:09 PM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Andre Iguodala enters the game and immediately is on Jokic inside. – 9:07 PM Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Gary Payton II gets all ball on Nikola Jokic in the paint. An 8 inch height advantage and MVP award made no difference there. pic.twitter.com/Dm82dzTF5q – 9:06 PM Monte Poole @MontePooleNBCS
GP2 enters and, as usual, makes immediate impact for Warriors: Blocks Jokic, who happens to be 9 inches taller, and sparks transition – 9:05 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Kerr I assume is trying to get a look at what it’s like with Bjelica guarding his Serbian teammate Jokic, but ultimately it doesn’t seem great to start both Looney and Draymond and then have them both out with Jokic out there still. – 9:04 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Gary Payton II defended Nikola Jokic like a Glove there – 9:03 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
With Jokic now guarding Porter, rather than put 2 on the ball initially they switch Jokic onto Curry, then double. GSW moves the ball into a Bjelica drive for a foul. – 9:02 PM Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe
Bjelica went at Jokic pretty aggressively – 9:02 PM CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22
I see Draymond got his bounce back. – 9:00 PM Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Steph Curry is in and Kevon Looney goes to the bench. Draymond Green is now on Jokic, which is another big change out of that break. – 8:58 PM Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Nikola Jokic is playing well early — 6 pts, 3 ast, and 2 steals. Warriors haven’t hit him with much aggressive defense yet and Kevon Looney playing him straight up. Here he drives and flails out a pass to Aaron Gordon on the perimeter. Draymond Green gets beat and fails to reach. pic.twitter.com/h2Xb34oVn5 – 8:57 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Jokic is 3-4 for 6 points with 3 assists and 2 steals after six minutes.
I’d bet we see the Warriors adjust out of the break. – 8:54 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Nikola Jokic with six points on 3-4 shooting midway through the 1st quarter vs. 1-on-1 coverage from Kevon Looney. – 8:54 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Nuggets 5-7 from floater range already, powered by Jokic 3-3. Those are great shots for him, unlike a lot of guys. – 8:53 PM Michael Singer @msinger
When do we see Draymond on Joker?
MVP’s already got 6 points, 3 assists in six minutes. Looney hasn’t had much for him defensively. – 8:53 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Warriors are not selling out on stopping Jokic early on. He is getting good one-on-one postups in the first half of the first quarter. – 8:52 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Nuggets are doing a good job of getting Jokic in adventageous situations early on, but it has not resulted in good offensive production early on. Hopefully Denver keeps sticking with the gameplan. It looks to be generating good looks. – 8:50 PM Adam Lauridsen @GSWFastBreak
Draymond vs Gordon isn’t fair. – 8:49 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Kevon Looney pulled some Jokic moves on Jokic – 8:49 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
I will be watching Monte Morris & Will Barton III most intently tonight. Denver needs every drop of offensive production they can get from each.
The Warriors will do what they can to keep Jokic from beating them. A strong perimeter attack from Morris/Barton would help immensely. – 8:44 PM Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe
Draymond was in his acting bag for the Warriors’ pregame video lol – 8:37 PM Michael Grange @michaelgrange
Scottie Barnes has been tough as nails all season. Think of all big hits he’s taken from the likes of Jokic or Adams or even tonight from Embiid. Never takes a backward step. Seeing him in that much pain tells a scary story. Can only hope it’s not as bad as it looks. Tough kid. – 8:33 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Steph Curry will come off the bench tonight. It’ll be Poole, Klay, Wiggins, Draymond and Looney in the starting lineup. – 8:09 PM Kendra Andrews @kendra__andrews
Stephen Curry is not starting tonight in Game 1.
It’ll be Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney. – 8:08 PM Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Late surprise: Warriors are starting Jordan Poole in place of Steph Curry. Presumably as a way to control Curry on a tight minutes restriction. So it’s Poole, Klay, Wiggins, Draymond, Looney. – 8:06 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Nuggets Game 1 starters:
Monte Morris
Will Barton
Aaron Gordon
Jeff Green
Nikola Jokic – 8:04 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Nuggets go with their regular starters: Monte, Will, AG, Jeff Green and Joker. – 8:01 PM Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Michael Malone on Steph, Klay, Poole
“I go back to last year first round against Portland. Dame, CJ, Norman Powell. No disrespect to those guys, but this (Warriors trio) is on steroids.”
“I think we’re going to see those three on the floor with Wiggins and Draymond a ton.” pic.twitter.com/tk4tjnTWhm – 7:51 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Asked Malone about using Markus Howard as Steph and Jamal as Klay this week. Said they used Davon Reed as Andrew Wiggins, Vlatko Cancar as Kevin Looney and Stephen Graham (assistant) as Draymond.
“Not a bad scout team.” – 7:22 PM Katy Winge @katywinge
Coach Malone details the Denver Nuggets scout team this week:
Markus Howard – Steph Curry
(Headband) Jamal Murray – Klay Thompson
Davon Reed – Andrew Wiggins
Vlatko Cancar – Kevon Looney
Stephen Graham (PD coach) – Draymond Green
Heck of a scout team to get Denver ready – 7:13 PM Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Michael Malone says Nikola Jokic has faced more double teams this season than he has over last six seasons. – 7:07 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Outside of Jokic, Kerr said he’s most concerned about Denver’s transition offense and their corner 3-point shooting. – 6:47 PM Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Early warmup for Nikola Jokic two hours before the series opener. Black shirts for the Warriors’ crowd in the Chase Center playoff debut. pic.twitter.com/PErhdVokVq – 6:36 PM Gina Mizell @ginamizell
*Insert Joker GIF here* – 6:20 PM

More on this storyline

JD Shaw: The NBA will announce its award finalists for the 2021-22 season on Sunday at 6:00pm ET. This includes MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year. The announcement will be made on TNT. -via Twitter @JShawNBA / April 15, 2022 Lauren Rosen: Tobias Harris (@Tobias Harris) on @Joel Embiid’s historic season: “The things that he does on the floor, as a big man, the dominance – I believe he’s the MVP... Honestly, I hope he gets both of them. By both I mean MVP of the regular season, and MVP of the championship.” -via Twitter @LaurenMRosen / April 15, 2022 NBA Central: NBA.Com’s final MVP Ladder: 1. Nikola Jokic 2. Joel Embiid 3. Giannis Antetokounmpo 4. Devin Booker 5. Luka Doncic 6. Jayson Tatum 7. Kevin Durant 8. DeMar DeRozan 9. Ja Morant 10. Chris Paul -via Twitter @TheNBACentral / April 15, 2022