Sunday’s Game 7 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder stung for Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. The three-time MVP was candid regarding his plans to cope with the defeat.
“The next couple of days is going to be a lot of beer, probably,” Jokic told reporters after the loss.
The finale of the hard-fought series turned into a blowout, as the Thunder won, 123-95, to advance to the Western Conference finals.
Jokic and the Nuggets were fighting an uphill battle after firing coach Michael Malone in April and narrowly winning a seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. Their odds only diminished when Aaron Gordon, who became a playoff hero, suffered a hamstring injury.
Gordon was initially expected to miss Game 7. He played, but looked like a shadow of himself.
“I told him to not play,” Jokic said. “You can injure yourself even worse. You can see that he was struggling a bit. Hard to move, this and that. But he’s a lion. He went out and fought with us, and we can just appreciate it.”
Gordon ended Game 7 with 8 points and 11 rebounds, confessing after the game that he was unable to sprint. The attrition from 14 games through two playoff series caused Gordon to take aim at the NBA’s scheduling.
“I would really, really appreciate it if there were a couple of days in between games in the playoffs instead of every other day,” he said Sunday. “The product of the game would be a lot better. You’ll see a higher level of basketball. Probably less blowouts.”
The Thunder will have one day off before opening the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. Jokic, Gordon and the Nuggets have the rest of the summer to drink beer and rest up.