Nikola Jokić Speaks On Nuggets HUGE Game 6 Win | May 15, 2025

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>> NIKOLA OFTENTIMES YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE A WIN IS GOING TO COME FROM. JUST HOW SURPRISED HOW HAPPY WERE YOU FOR JULIAN STRAWTHER TO HAVE THE MOMENT THAT HE HAD IN THIS GAME? >> YES. I MEAN, HE WAS AMAZING AND HE WAS AMAZING. HE HAD A BIG, BIG, BIG POINTS, BIG, BIG MOMENTS IN THE GAME, A BIG, BIG REBOUND OR 1 OR 2. TWO. YEAH. IT WAS A IT WAS A IT WAS A IT WAS A GREAT A GREAT GAME FOR HIM. I THINK CB PLAYED REALLY GOOD, JAMAL PLAYED REALLY GOOD. AND OUR DEFENSE WAS REALLY GOOD. I THINK MOST OF THE GAMES. SO I THINK THAT’S WHY WE WON A GAME. >> NIKOLA, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE WAY THIS SERIES HAS EVOLVED AND WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING IT TO BE LIKE IN GAME SEVEN? >> I MEAN. IT’S INTERESTING. YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, SOME TEAMS LIKE I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAD THE LEAD EVEN LAST GAME, AND THEY TOOK IT AT THE END. I THINK WE EVEN GAME FOUR, WE HAD THE LEAD AND THEY TOOK IT. THIS IS THE FIRST GAME THAT WE KIND OF HAD THE LEAD AND WE FINISHED THE GAME. IT’S INTERESTING. YOU KNOW IT’S HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY IT’S GOING TO BE HOPEFULLY IT’S GOING TO BE A CLOSE ONE. >> WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE TONE THAT JAMAL SET, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT HE WASN’T FEELING WELL GOING INTO THIS. >> I THINK THAT DOESN’T REALLY CHANGE ANYTHING. HIS APPROACH IS E OPENED THE GAME REALLY GOOD FOR US AND HE SET THE TONE. BUT I THINK IT WAS HIS ILLNESS AFFECTED HIM AT ALL. SO WHEN YOU PLAY THE GAME, I THINK YOU DON’T START. YOU DON’T THINK ABOUT THE WHAT YOU HAVE OR WHATEVER IS THE YOUR PROBLEM YOU HAVE. >> NIKOLA IN THE OVER HERE IN THE. >> SECOND QUARTER. YOU GUYS, THE YOU GUYS HAD THE LEAD AND KIND OF SLIPPED. AARON AND PAYTON CAME OUT AND THEY DREW A BUNCH OF FOULS AND THEY GOT THEM IN THE BONUS AND GOT A BUNCH OF FOULS ON THOSE GUYS. HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE AGGRESSIVENESS IN DRAWING THOSE FOULS TONIGHT HELPED YOU GUYS GET CONTROL OF THE GAME? >> DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY HELPED ME. YOU KNOW I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE DIDN’T HAVE OFFENSIVE FOULS IN THIS SERIES. SO THAT’S A THAT’S A HELPFUL. THEY WERE GOOD. YOU KNOW I THINK THE ATTACKING ATTACKING DOWNHILL NOT JUST THE SCORE I THINK BECAUSE WE KNOW THEY’RE COMING. THEY’RE THEY’RE PROTECTING THE PAINT. YOU KNOW WE CAN WE CAN GET OPEN LOOKSND SHOOT THEM. YOU KNOW GETTING DOWNHILL IS SOMETHING THAT HELPED US A LOT DURING THIS SEASON. SERIES. >> NIKOLA, WHAT GOES INTO WHETHER YOU WOULD RATHER START THE FOURTH QUARTER AND JUST KEEP PLAYING THE ENTIRE SECOND HALF OR NO, IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU RESTED JUST A LITTLE BIT. >> TO BE HONEST, I DON’T KNOW. SOMETIMES IT’S JUST FEELS MAYBE I SHOULD JUST PLAY AND SOMETIMES, LIKE, I DON’T KNOW, IT DOESN’T REALLY HAVE A PATTERN. YOU KNOW, I THINK. >> DIFFERENT THAN THE GAME FIVE. >> I REALLY DON’T KNOW. I, I REALLY DON’T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT. >> NIKOLA ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN WAS SAYING THUNDER’S LOCKER ROOM AFTER THAT. HE FELT LIKE YOU GUYS WERE SETTING A LITTLE BIT MORE OFF BALL SCREENS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF GAMES AND THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU FOUND A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A RHYTHM WITH THAT. DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT HAS HELPED OPEN THINGS UP FOR YOU A LITTLE BIT SCORING WISE THE PAST COUPLE NIGHTS, COUPLE GAMES? >> WELL. YEAH PROBABLY. YES PROBABLY. YES. YOU KNOW I THINK IT’S I THINK WE, WE, WE, WE, WE PLAYED THROUGH THROUGH ME A LOT AND WE SAID CROSS SCREEN WHEN I’M HANDLING THE PEOPLE SETTING SCREENS FOR ME, I’M SETTING SCREENS. IT’S A POST UP CATCH AND SHOOT. SO I THINK WE ARE I MEAN IT’S A THE I THINK THAT’S HOW WE PLAY AND MAYBE, MAYBE WE PLAY THE I DIDN’T KNOW THIS, TO BE HONEST PERSONALLY, BUT I THINK WE PROBABLY DID A LOT TO HELP US WITH OUR. >> NIKOLA. HOW OFTEN ARE YOU AND COACH ADELMAN TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS, DIFFERENT SCHEMES OFFENSIVELY, DEFENSIVELY AND HOW MUCH DO YOU APPRECIATE HIM GOING TO YOU FOR THAT INPUT? >> TO BE HONEST, A LOT. TO BE HONEST. A LOT. HE EVEN WHEN WE ARE TEXTING, EVEN WHEN I SEE SOMETHING I CAN I DON’T HAVE A LIKE I CAN JUST ASK HIM AND ASK HIM A QUESTION WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT IT. AND HE, YOU KNOW, HE I THINK WE HAVE A GREAT COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION RELATIONSHIP. SO. IT’S BEEN GOOD RIGHT NOW I DON’T KNOW. >> NIKOLA, HOW MUCH ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THAT THAT EXTRA DAY OFF BETWEEN NOW AND GAME SEVEN. AND HOW MUCH GOOD IS THAT GOING TO DO YOU GUYS? >> I MEAN, HOPEFULLY WE’RE GOING TO REST A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE ARE PLAYING SEVEN, SIX, 13 REALLY HARD GAMES IN BACK, NOT BACK TO BACK, BUT LIKE EVERY OTHER DAY. SO HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY WE’RE GOING TO HAVE SOME REST AND GET READY FOR THE GAME. >> NIKOLA I THINK IF MY MATH IS CORRECT, YOU THESE TWO TEAMS HAVE PLAYED TEN TIMES THIS YEAR AND YOU BOTH WON FIVE. HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE IS THERE BETWEEN THESE TWO TEAMS IN YOUR MIND AND. >> BETWEEN US AND OKC THUNDER. >> AND I MEAN HOW EVENLY ARE YOU MATCHED AND WHAT WILL IT COME DOWN TO IN GAME SEVEN TO DETERMINE THE WINNER AS FAR AS YOU’RE CONCERNED? >> PROBABLY DEFENSE I THINK PROBABLY DEFENSE DETAILS REBOUNDING FOR US ESPECIALLY BECAUSE HOW MUCH THEY ARE ATTACKING THE GLASS TURNOVERS FOR US. YOU KNOW ALL THE YOU KNOW DEPENDS ON HOW THE GAME WILL OPEN UP. IF WE SLOW DOWN AND IF THEY START RUNNING, YOU KNOW I THINK IT’S DEPENDS HOW THE GAME OPENS UP. YOU KNOW BECAUSE THEY WANT TO PUSH THE PACE, THEY WANT TO DRIVE, THEY WANT TO DRIVE AND KICK. THEY WANT TO FIND OPEN LOOKS. AND WE KIND OF WANT TO MAYBE A LITTLE BIT SLOWER GAME TO GET OPEN. LOOKS DIFFERENTLY. SO IT’S I THINK IT’S INTERESTING TO WATCH. AND I THINK THE DETAILS IS GOING TO DEEP DEFENSE BOX OUT TURNOVERS. THAT’S GOING TO PROBABLY PROBABLY DECIDE THE WINNER. >> WHAT DOES IT TAKE JUST FOR YOU GUYS TO KIND OF BE AS COMFORTABLE AS YOU ARE PLAYING FROM BEHIND IN A GAME OR A SERIES? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT IS JUST ALL OF THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE KIND OF ADDED UP, OR WHY ARE YOU GUYS KIND OF AS COMFORTABLE AS YOU ARE IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS? >> I MEAN, LAST THREE GAMES WE WERE UP AND EVERY BUT I THINK WE’RE JUST BEING IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT, KNOWING THAT WE CAN GET BACK IN THE GAME NO MATTER HOW MUCH WAS IF YOU’RE LOSING BY 30, IT’S HARD. BUT IF IT’S LIKE TEN, 15, I THINK WE ARE. WE KNOW THAT WE CAN COME BACK. WE JUST NEED TO BE FOCUSED AND DISCIPLINED. JUST BEING IN THOSE SITUATIONS, BEING TOGETHER IN THOSE PROBABLY EXPERIENCE, I WILL SAY THAT. >> I’LL GIVE