Watch: Zach Collins pulls a trick out of Nikola Jokic's playbook with deceiving no-look pass
San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins pulled a trick out of Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic’s playbook on Sunday with an impressive no-look pass.
During the first quarter of San Antonio’s matchup against Denver, Spurs rookie big man Victor Wembanyama stole the ball and pushed it up the court. Wembanyama quickly found Collins running down the middle of the floor in transition.
Upon catching the ball in the key, Collins promptly threw the ball over his shoulder to teammate Malaki Branham, who was all alone in the corner. Branham splashed the open corner 3-pointer, allowing Collins to convert on the no-look, Jokic-like assist.
Check out Collins’ highlight pass below:
Also Read: Kevin Garnett goes off while acknowledging Nikola Jokic as best player in NBA: "Wilt Chamberlain rolling over his grave"
Nikola Jokic calls out NBA officiating
Nikola Jokic is widely considered the NBA's best player. However, according to the superstar big man, he still doesn’t get as favorable of a whistle as the league’s other top stars.
Amid the Nuggets’ two-game losing streak, Jokic spoke with The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando about how he gets fewer calls than other stars. The reigning NBA Finals MVP said that he is used to the officiating disparity at this point and that there is nothing he can do about it:
“That’s normal,” Jokic said.
“Seems like some guys are getting more beneficial calls. Some guys are not, and that’s normal. And some guys can say a little bit more. Some guys can’t, and that’s normal. I accept it.”
Meanwhile, Nuggets coach Michael Malone added that the team has been trying to get the NBA to officiate Jokic fairly throughout his nine-year career. Malone said that Jokic has garnered more respect from officials over the past few years but still not as much as he deserves:
“I mean, we’ve talked to the league for nine years about Nikola and how he’s being guarded,” Malone said.
“I think things improved as he became MVP, things improved as we became a team that was winning at a high level. And I think he started to get the respect of the officials. But every night’s a different night.”
Entering Sunday, the Nuggets (10-6) have lost five of their last seven games. Meanwhile, Jokic has been carrying a heavier offensive workload in the absence of co-star Jamal Murray, who remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Fortunately for the Nuggets, they are taking on a struggling Spurs team (3-13) on Sunday that has lost 11 straight games. So, the matchup should provide Denver with an excellent opportunity to get back on track.
Through 16 games, Jokic is averaging 28.2 points, 13.5 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.4 3-pointers per game on 56.6% shooting.