“He was obviously the MVP for a reason” - Steph Curry pays due respect to Nikola Jokic after his stellar outing against Golden State Warriors
Steph Curry heaped praise on reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic following the Golden State Warriors' narrow loss against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.
Jokic was firing on all cylinders against Curry and co., bagging 35 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists on the night. He also provided the dime that led to Monte Morris' game-winning three-pointer as the Nuggets won 117-116.
MONTE MORRIS GAME-WINNER VS. WARRIORS 😱🔥 https://t.co/NZtFWhHxNR
Steph Curry paid his due respects to the "Joker" for his efforts after the game, saying (via 95.7 The Game):
“He was obviously the MVP for a reason last year.”
Steph Curry was also in the mix with Nikola Jokic to win the NBA MVP award in the 2020-21 season. The former finished third in the voting as the Warriors failed to make it past the play-in tournament, losing consecutive games against the LA Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.
Jokic once again has a significant advantage over Curry in the MVP voting this year, despite the latter leading the race for most of the first half of the season.
Steph Curry endured a shooting slump post Christmas Day, which led to him falling out of the reckoning as a hot-favorite to win his third MVP award.
Steph on Jokic: “He was obviously the MVP for a reason last year.”
Steph Curry's 25-point effort in vain as Golden State Warriors enter the All-Star break with a 1-4 record
The Golden State Warriors lost their fourth game in five outings against the Nuggets on Wednesday. They have struggled immensely on defense with a lack of depth in the center position.
Akin to their last four opponents, Denver also exploited this weakness as Nikola Jokic outplayed his counterpart Kevon Looney on the night.
Steph Curry led the charge for the Warriors once again, bagging a team-high 25 points and six assists while shooting 10-of-19 from the field. He made some adjustments to his game, with the three-ball not going his way as he made only one shot from beyond the arc on seven attempts.
The Golden State Warriors were decent on offense, but their defensive issues have started to haunt them with the All-Star break around the corner.
They will have Draymond Green return to the lineup at some point following the break. It will be a big boost for the side as he generally takes up the assignment of guarding the opposing team's best players. Green also provides the size the Golden State Warriors need at the moment, with Looney being the only true center on the roster right now.
It will be interesting to see how the Dubs tackle their struggles against opposition bigs before Green returns to the lineup.