"He was shooting off of one foot" - Nuggets sophomore recalls his favorite Jokic performance; name drops Lakers series
Nikola Jokic put on many amazing performances during the Denver Nuggets' title run, but one in particular stood out to Christian Braun. The now sophomore guard recently opened up on his favorite performance from the two-time MVP.
Last season, Christian Braun had the rare experience of being on a title team as a rookie. He also had the opportunity to watch one of the NBA's top players up close and in person on a nightly basis.
Heading into his second season, Braun sat down with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina to discuss a wide array of topics. Among the questions asked was his favorite performance from superstar teammate Nikola Jokic. Braun went his showing against the LA Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
“I have a lot of them. I don’t have a favorite performance. But it’s funny in the Lakers series when he was shooting off of one foot. People were like, ‘Man he was making those lucky shots.’ Even a lot of my friends were pointing that out. They’re like, ‘He’s making those lucky shots.”
"I would say, ‘Well, he went 4-for-5.’ It’s funny when people think that those are lucky. He makes them all the time. He was probably 4-for-5 in that series on that one foot.”
How did Nikola Jokic perform against the LA Lakers in the conference finals?
Nikola Jokic was by far one of the top performers in the postseason last year. His numbers against the LA Lakers don't stack up to other series, but he was every bit as dominant.
Coming off wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, the Nuggets had one final team in their way before punching their ticket to the finals. That being LeBron James and the LA Lakers. They ended up making quick work of them, winning the series in just four games.
As for Jokic, he dazzled in the series sweep. He finished with averages of 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists. The All-Star center was also extremely efficient, shooting 50.6% from the field and 47.1% from beyond the arc.
Jokic's overall best game against the Lakers came in Game 1 of the series. He sent a message to LeBron and company, posting a stat line of 34 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists and two blocks. The conference finals MVP ended up closing out the series by going for 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 rebounds in a two-point win.