The Denver Nuggets experienced perhaps their most frustrating loss of the year on Saturday night as Anthony Davis (40 points) and the New Olreans Pelicans got to the line at will in their 125-115 victory. Early in the game however, Nikola Jokic went head-to-head with AD, racking up 18 quick points and putting his fingerprints all over a first quarter explosion from the Nuggets’ offense. He would finish the game with 25 points, 8 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Despite the disparity in athleticism, Davis couldn’t stop ‘The Joker’, who was also tasked with guarding the MVP candidate on the other end. The two traded buckets back-and-forth as the night’s key matchup lived up to the hype. That was before Jokic slipped.
After Davis flushed a ridiculous alley-oop, Jokic looked eager to push the pace, and chased after a ball that had taken a funky bounced and rolled deep underneath the basket. Jokic slipped and winced as he grabbed at his groin area. He would leave the game, and while he ultimately did return, he was never able to return to form.
Watch the highlights from his near triple-double below:
