Is Nikola Jokic playing tonight against the Heat? Latest injury update on Nuggets center ahead of the matchup (9th June, 2023)
Nikola Jokic will play against the Heat in a Game 4 matchup of the 2023 NBA Finals. The Denver Nuggets will face off against the Miami Heat in an attempt to extend their lead to 3-1.
Jokic has been the Nuggets' best player so far in these NBA Finals and had an all-time great Game 3. Jokic had the first 30-20-10 game of NBA Finals history.
“You are the first person in NBA History to have a 30-20-10 NBA Finals game. What does that mean to you?”
Nikola Jokic: “I mean to be honest, not much…I’m just glad we won the game .”
https://t.co/7tNXrwqykh
His performances haven't been limited to just Game 3, as Nikola Jokic has been stellar in these NBA Finals. He has averaged 33.3 points, 14 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game.
Jokic will be a key factor going forward in Game 4 as well and is expected to be fully ready for the challenge.
It seems that the Miami Heat are struggling with their Nikola Jokic problem. However, you simply cannot count out Jimmy Butler or Erik Spoelstra. In Game 2, it did seem that the Heat figured out a defensive scheme that limited Jokic's assists, and that cost the Nuggets the game.
There is an interesting stat, which shows the Nuggets to be 0-4 when Nikola Jokic scores 40-plus in the postseason, but 12-5 when he has 10-plus assists. As to whether that is anything more than an oddity remains to be seen.
Reporter: “The Nuggets are 0-4 when you score 40+ in the playoffs, but are 12-5 when you have 10+ assists. Is there any correlation?”
Nikola Jokic: “I really don’t know, my friend. That’s a good question. When you play the game, sometimes it’s open, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/M88YpPmiy5
What can be said for certain is that Jokic has his eyes set on winning the championship. That is his first and foremost goal and he will be ready for anything that the Heat throw at him. With Bam Adebayo's shoulder compromised, Jokic has an advantage in Game 4.
Who has the most triple-doubles in the NBA Finals?
Lebron James might not be in the 2023 Finals, but he still casts a shadow over it. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic both had a triple-double in Game 3, Jokic even became the first player with a 30-20-10 triple-double in NBA Finals history. However, if you look at the player with the most triple-doubles in the history of the finals, James is miles ahead of any player on the Nuggets.
James has had 11 triple-doubles in the NBA Finals, which is more than five times higher than Jokic (2). James is closely followed by Magic Johnson (8), with the third-highest player being Draymond Green (3).
Jokic and Butler are both tied for the fourth spot with two triple-doubles.
Not only does Lebron James lead the number of triple-doubles, but he has also done so when the lights were at their very brightest. James had a triple-double in Game 7 of the NBA Finals vs the Warriors where he almost single-handedly won the game.
He finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists to successfully complete a 3-1 comeback against the greatest regular season team of all time.