Nikola Jokic has elevated his game in the postseason thus far, and Patrick Beverley believes the Denver Nuggets star has done that in part by putting pressure on officials.
After Jokic scored 32 points in Monday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Beverley compared the big man’s game to Luka Doncic’s. He said Jokic does a lot of “flailing” like Doncic.
Clippers’ Patrick Beverley on Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic after Game 3 win: “He presents the same thing Luka Doncic presents: a lot of flailing. He puts a lot of pressure on the referees to make the right calls.” pic.twitter.com/KB7Hs8dTsr
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 8, 2020
Jokic has only shot 10 free throws through the first three games against the Clippers, so it’s not as if he gets every call. Still, his presence in the paint is one of the main reasons the Nuggets defeated the Utah Jazz in seven games last year. It also gives them a shot against L.A.
Jokic recently provided a great reason for why he has been so effective on offense. Beverley seems to think the officials help with that, though his comments were more of a compliment than anything.
