Watch: Nikola Jokic twerks before Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers tipoff, leaves NBA referee in splits
We all know that Nikola Jokic has a fun side. The reigning league MVP once again gave NBA fans much to smile about at the start of the Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Clippers game on Sunday night. As referee Bill Kennedy got ready to lob the ball for tipoff between Jokic and Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com arena, Jokic tried to time his jump.
But Kennedy didn't throw the ball in the air, leaving Jokic twerking repeatedly. Jokic's actions left Kennedy in splits. The referee needed a few seconds to compose himself before he got the two centers back to half court for tipoff.
You can watch Nikola Jokic and referee Bill Kennedy in the hilarious segment right here:
great moment to start this game in LA: Jokic tries to time the tipoff, but Bill Kennedy doesn’t throw it in the air so he ends up just standing there and twerking.
Bill Kennedy needs a second to laugh before resuming. https://t.co/MBdjAtsrYZ
Nikola Jokic puts up monster double-double as Denver Nuggets hold off LA Clippers
Besides the fun moment at the beginning of the game, Nikola Jokic also showcased his all-round versatility to get his Denver Nuggets an important win on the road. Jokic tallied 26 points, 22 rebounds and eight assists as he helped the Nuggets hold off the feisty LA Clippers in a 103-100 victory for Denver.
The first player to record 25+ PTS, 20+ REB, and 5+ AST in back-to-back games since Charles Barkley in 1988 🤯
#NikolaJokic #NBAAllStar https://t.co/pRP1CT03Md
The Denver Nuggets led the game by as many as 17 points (74-57) five minutes into the third quarter, but the Los Angeles Clippers swung things around to take a nine-point lead (82-91) with nine minutes left to play in the final quarter.
The Nuggets then outscored the Clippers 21-9 over the remainder of the game to improve to a 16-16 record in the regular season. Nikola Jokic scored nine of the Denver Nuggets' last 21 points to help the team to its first victory in three outings.
This is the second consecutive game that Nikola Jokic has managed to put up 25-plus points, 20-plus rebounds and five-plus assists, which makes him the second player to achieve this feat since power forward Charles Barkley did it in 1988.
Jokic had 29 points, 21 rebounds and five assists against the Charlotte Hornets in the Denver Nuggets' previous outing, but the Serbian center couldn't lead his team to victory in that game.
Nikola Jokic is averaging 25.9 ppg, 13.8 rpg and 7.2 apg with the Denver Nuggets this season. He ranks eighth in the league in scoring and second in rebounding averages. Despite his team's ordinary run thus far, Jokic leads players in almost every advanced analytics stat category, which strengthens his case for picking up a second consecutive MVP honor.
Nikola Jokic won his first regular season MVP honor last season when he finished with 26.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg and 8.3 apg while playing the full 72-game schedule for the Denver Nuggets.
With his 26-PT, 22 REB performance tonight, Nikola Jokic now has 6 20+ PT, 20+ REB games, giving him the most in @nuggets history since Denver joined the NBA in 1976-77.
The previous record of 5 was held by Marcus Camby. https://t.co/8jyYsElgaz
Also Read: How much do NBA referees make?