Trying to Fight Back

Under the basket, Gafford turned to look at Little Jordan behind him and helplessly spread his hands.

Seeing this, Little Jordan patted Gafford on the head, then turned around to get ready to inbound the ball.

They hadn't been able to stop Jokic when Davis was on the floor, so it was only natural that Gafford couldn't stop him either~~

Nikola Jokic was simply too strong and too smart.

His spins were so agile that he didn't look at all like a big, fat guy weighing nearly 260 pounds.

But the width of his body was a perfect match for his weight...

Add to that his elite, versatile ability to finish around the basket, and Jokic's spin drives became incredibly threatening.

Besides, on that play, Jokic had deliberately picked his spot to give himself an advantage.

After his first spin, he deliberately kept up the physical contact with Gafford, but didn't put enough force into it to completely shove him aside. That way, the smaller Gafford stayed pressed against his side, keeping Little Jordan from helping on defense.

And when it came time to finish, things went exactly as he'd hoped.

Jokic's hook shot was a little slow, but incredibly precise.

Little Jordan was blocked off and couldn't get over to help, while Gafford did jump, but he was a beat too late.

The shot was already hard to block, and he was a beat late on top of that. What was he supposed to do, just give up~~

And so, Jokic finished the possession with ease once again.

Next, the Thunder inbounded the ball.

For the Thunder, it wasn't a big deal if they let Jokic score a few baskets.

The key was not letting him set the Nuggets' pace.

And there was one very simple, very direct way