SI

Nikola Jokić Made Deandre Ayton Look So Silly With the Best Pump Fake of the NBA Season

The Denver Nuggets’ two-time NBA MVP deftly deked the Portland Trail Blazers big man en route to an easy basket.

Tim Capurso

Nikola Jokić Made Deandre Ayton Look So Silly With the Best Pump Fake of the NBA Season
Nikola Jokić Made Deandre Ayton Look So Silly With the Best Pump Fake of the NBA Season /
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Nikola Jokić has dazzled fans with an array of jaw-dropping passes since he entered the NBA in the 2015-16 season. 

On Sunday, Jokic made another highlight reel-worthy play, but it didn’t involve a nifty assist. 

During the second quarter of the Denver Nuggets’ 112—103 win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, Jokić pump-faked a three-pointer while Blazers big man Deandre Ayton defended. 

Jokić‘s fake was so good that Ayton held up his hand to contest a shot he thought was coming and actually looked at the basket to see the result.

Check out the outstanding fake below. 

It wasn’t until Ayton saw Jokić driving past him toward the basket that he realized the Nuggets big man hadn’t actually shot the ball. Now that's a pump fake.

Jokic made the basket and was fouled. He sunk the ensuing free throw en route to a game-high 29 points.

The Serbian native and two-time NBA MVP is averaging 26.3 points, 12.2 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game in 49 contests this season. 

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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