Nikola Jokic on pregame trash talk to LeBron James about delaying his 40,000 career points: “We didn’t, you know? He’s too good”
Denver Post
LOS ANGELES — Nikola Jokic tried to issue a guarantee worthy of Broadway Joe Namath directly to LeBron James’ face. But this was Hollywood, not Broadway. Not even Jokic could keep a straight face.
“We’re gonna stop you,” he told James moments before the opening tip of Denver’s 124-114 win Saturday. “You’re going for eight (points).”
It would have been maybe the biggest upset in the history of sports. The Nuggets didn’t make it to halftime.
James walked away laughing, then he scored his ninth point of the game — and the 40,000th of his magnificent career — two minutes into the second quarter. No other player in NBA history has reached the milestone.
James hasn’t scored fewer than 10 points in a regular-season game since 2007, a streak extending more than 1,200 contests. It turns out Jokic was well-aware of that stat (but hazy on the precise details) when he tried trash-talking his opponent pregame.
“I said, ‘You did it for 1,300 games. Score more than 10 points. I think it’s time to break the streak,'” Jokic told reporters. “And we didn’t, you know? He’s too good.”
"We're gonna stop you."
Jokic to LeBron before the game
pic.twitter.com/CsK9GNJeKy — The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 3, 2024
James finished the night with 26 points, but Jokic went for 35 as the Nuggets extended their win streak against the Lakers to eight games, including last year’s sweep in the Western Conference Finals. The three matchups between Denver and Los Angeles this season have all coincided with ceremonies or celebrations. On NBA opening night at Ball Arena, the Nuggets raised their championship banner and received their rings before the game. Then in February when they visited Los Angeles, the Lakers were unveiling a Kobe Bryant statue outside the arena and honoring him with Mamba Night.
Then there was this. That James might pass the 40,000 mark Saturday was treated as an inevitability after he got within single-digit points the previous game. When he scored his first bucket of the night, the crowd response was louder than usual. When he closed within two points, phone cameras were primed to film every Lakers possession. A highlight video tribute was shown on the jumbotron during the first timeout after James pulled it off.
“It’s weird. Every time there’s some night in L.A., we’ve gotta play them,” Jamal Murray said. “You know? Like, first game of the season, revenge game? We play them. Mamba Night? We play them. LeBron night? We play them. It’s like, man, give them somebody else.”
Murray was one of three Denver players to register a double-double as the Nuggets (42-19) closed the game on a 19-6 run in the last five minutes, bolstering their clutch time reputation. Murray in particular improved throughout the game, which he was playing two days after spraining his right ankle.
“We just wanted to take the life out of the arena,” he said.
Michael Porter Jr. became the answer to a trivia question — Who was guarding James when he became the first player to score 40,000 points? — while also playing one of the best games of his career on the same night. Before the second half started, he approached James to congratulate him and share a laugh. James drove past Porter for the monumental basket.
“I told him, ‘Congrats, Bron,'” Porter said. “I was like, ‘Why’d you have to hit it on me, though?'”
He then proceeded to become the first player in NBA history to shoot 100% from the field on 10 or more shot attempts including five 3-pointers in a game. The final box: 25 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal.
“His work ethic and consistency and just how he puts everything into this game is really inspiring,” Porter said. “So I’ve been a fan of his for a long time, and to be able to play against him on nights like these, it’s special. On the court, it’s always competing, but after the game, all you can do is respect.”
“It’s amazing. … I think the biggest thing to his career is his durability and consistency,” Murray said. “The way he’s been able to keep up the level of performance throughout the years, no matter the age, I think that’s the biggest thing. Being not injured and stuff like that — knock on wood.”
Jokic conceded defeat after his pregame promise fell through. He found James for a hug as the final buzzer sounded. And even before that, during a timeout huddle, Denver’s two-time MVP made sure to look up at the big screen and applaud with everyone else who was present to witness a historic moment.
“It’s just amazing how many years he’s playing on the really, extremely high level,” Jokic said, referring to James as an idol. “And when you see (the star players) now, who can even reach him? I think it’s really hard to say. Maybe Ant (Anthony Edwards). Maybe Luka (Doncic), if he plays long enough to do that. … It’s amazing to share the floor with a guy like that.”
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