Nikola Jokic Had Perfect Joke When Asked About Timberwolves’ Center Rotation

May 5, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

Nikola Jokic may need to make a trip to the secret laboratory of Felonious Gru, the main protagonist of the Despicable Me movie franchise, before Game 2 of the Western conference semifinals.

Jokic’s Nuggets lost Game 1 at the hands of the Timberwolves by a score of 106—99, during which the two-time MVP was coaxed into an inefficient shooting performance, thanks to Minnesota’s rotation of three centers in Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid.

During his postgame press conference, Jokic was asked how he can be more effective against the Timberwolves’ rotation of fresh big men. The Nuggets center paused for several seconds, then responded with a perfect joke, telling the reporter that he will have to clone himself.

Nikola Jokic on how he can be effective against Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid: “To have a duplicate clone of myself.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/39piWb1eKo

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 5, 2024

“To have a duplicate clone of myself,” Jokic joked. “And then I can—you know—I can be, uh, fresh, when they sub another guy, I don’t need to be fresh.”

It sounds like something that Gru, whom Jokic dressed up as as part of a promotion for the movie franchise’s fourth film during the first round of the playoffs, could help the Nuggets star with.

In all seriousness, this is the challenge that Jokic is facing against Minnesota. The Timberwolves can throw a three-time Defensive Player of the Year in Gobert, another seven-footer in Towns, and the bulky, lengthy Reid, who weighs 264 pounds and has a 7’3″ wingspan, at Jokic throughout the game.

Jokic will need to find some answers for the Timberwolves’ defensive plan before Game 2 tips off on Monday night at 10 p.m. ET.

7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Jamal Murray Throws Heat Pack on Court From Bench During Game 2 vs. T-Wolves

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was having a tough go of things during Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose stifling defense was proving more than a little frustrating for the 27-year-old.

After checking out of the game late into the first half, Murray, who had been barking back and forth with officials throughout the game, could be seen vehemently protesting a no-call from the referees.

Murray was then spotted by the TNT broadcast appearing to throw a heat pack onto the court, which landed dangerously close to the foot of Karl-Anthony Towns as he went up for a layup. Officials did not seem to notice it was Murray who threw the object, despite a confused Kentavious Caldwell-Pope bending over to pick it up and remove it after Towns's basket.

The TNT camera shows Nuggets star Jamal Murray throwing a heat pack from the bench right into game action on the floor before a T-Wolves bucket. ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/btZp6dbtZR
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 7, 2024

It goes without saying that a player throwing something onto the court from the bench would be a violation of the rules, though officials did not review the incident, nor was play even stopped, as Murray seemingly got away with his antics consequence-free.

The TNT broadcast went back and showed a replay of Murray throwing the heat pack, as Reggie Miller pointed out that referee Mark Davis even looked back to see where the thrown object came from. Kevin Harlan chimed in calling the act "dangerous."

After a strong showing in the opening series against the Los Angeles Lakers, the smothering Minnesota defense has caused problems for Murray throughout their first two matchups, resulting in some visible frustration.

6 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

NBA Playoff Schedule: Full Rundown for Conference Semifinals

The first round of the 2024 NBA postseason had some great matchups, and things will only get better from here on out. Saturday marked the start of the second round of the playoffs, when true contenders battle against one another in an effort to reach the final four of their conference. Iron sharpens iron, after all, and this year's slate of Round 2 contests look pretty great across the board.

Fewer games means fewer overlapping broadcast times, too. After two weeks with up to three NBA games on every night, we're more or less back to the standard of an Eastern Conference tip-off around 7 p.m. ET and a Western Conference tip-off around 10 p.m. ET.

For your viewing habit purposes, here is the full schedule for the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, organized by series.

NBA Playoff Schedule for Second Round

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics v. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

• Game 1: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Tuesday, May 7 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Thursday, May 9 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Saturday, May 11 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Monday, May 13 (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Celtics vs. Cavaliers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

(2) New York Knicks v. (3) Indiana Pacers

• Game 1: Pacers vs. Knicks, Monday, May 6 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Pacers vs. Knicks, Wednesday, May 8 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 10 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Knicks vs. Pacers, Sunday, May 12 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Knicks vs. Pacers, Friday, May 17 (TBD)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Pacers vs. Knicks, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder v. (5) Dallas Mavericks

• Game 1: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Tuesday, May 7 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 2: Mavericks vs. Thunder, Thursday, May 9 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 3: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 11 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• Game 4: Thunder vs. Mavericks, Monday, May 13 (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Wednesday, May 15 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Thunder vs. Mavericks, Saturday, May 18 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Mavericks vs. Thunder, Monday, May 20 (8:30 p.m. ET)

(2) Denver Nuggets v. (3) Minnesota Timberwolves

• Game 2: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Monday, May 6 (10 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 3: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Friday, May 10 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
• Game 4: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Sunday, May 12 (8 p.m. ET, TNT)
• Game 5 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Tuesday, May 14 (TBD)
• Game 6 (if necessary): Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Thursday, May 16 (8:30 p.m. ET)
• Game 7 (if necessary): Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, Sunday, May 19 (TBD)

Key Dates for the 2024 NBA Playoffs

Aside from the all the above, the NBA postseason generally has a few key dates.

The first have already passed in the form of the play-in tournament, as well as the start of the first round. The Nuggets and Timberwolves kicked off the second round on Saturday, May 4. Below are several other key dates to look forward to.

• Conference Finals start dates: May 19-22, depending on the length of the second-round series.
• NBA Finals start date: Thursday, June 6 will be Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. Sunday, June 9 will be Game 2. Game 3 will take place on Wednesday, June 12. Friday, June 14 will be Game 4.

First Round Results

Below are the full results for the first round of this year's postseason.

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics def. (8) Miami Heat in 5 games

(2) New York Knicks def. (7) Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers def. (5) Orlando Magic in 7 games

(6) Indiana Pacers def. (3) Milwaukee Bucks in 6 games

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder def. (8) New Orleans Pelicans in 4 games

(2) Denver Nuggets def. (7) Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games

(3) Minnesota Timberwolves def. (6) Phoenix Suns in 4 games

(5) Dallas Mavericks def. (4) Los Angeles Clippers in 6 games

And that's everything you need to know about the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Enjoy watching!

7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Michael Malone Delivers Brutally Honest Review of Nuggets’ Humbling Game 2 Defeat

The Denver Nuggets were absolutely hammered by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, losing Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series 106-80. After the game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone gave a brutal assessment of where his team stood.

Malone did not sound happy when addressing his team's loss. He said, "They kicked our a--. Yeah, it got away from us. It's going to be a challenge. The body language is not where I think it needs to be. We just got beat up in our building. We got embarrassed in front of our fans." Malone continued, "You feel embarrassed. You feel exposed. What are you going to do about it."

The defending NBA champs have their backs against the wall. They have opened the series with two home losses and things will now shift back to Minneapolis and the Timberwolves have all the momentum. Malone was right to feel embarrassed and uneasy.

Denver didn't get what it needed from its stars in Game 2. Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 16 rebounds and eight asists but was 5-for-13 from the field. Jamal Murray struggled mightily and finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals and was 3-of-18 from the field.

On the other side of things, the Timberwolves got everything they needed from their big stars. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks while going 10-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range. Anthony Edwards continued his breakout postseason, scored 27 points, adding seven assists and finishing an efficient 11-for-17 from the field.

Malone and the Nuggets will need to find an answer quickly to turn things around or they'll become the sixth consecutive defending champion that failed to reach the NBA Finals.

US Sports News

Nikola Jokic Had Perfect Joke When Asked About Timberwolves’ Center Rotation

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Jimm Sallivan