Inside The Nuggets

Nikola Jokic Hits Incredible Buzzer-Beater in Nuggets-Pelicans

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic beat the buzzer against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Joey Linn

Nov 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) shoots the ball in the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Ball Arena.
Nov 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) shoots the ball in the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Ball Arena. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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The Denver Nuggets entered Sunday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans with a 14-11 record. Losing to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday at the buzzer, Denver was given an opportunity on Sunday to bounce back against the worst team in the Western Conference.

Just 5-24 entering this game, the Pelicans have been decimated by injuries. Despite this, New Orleans took a lead into the fourth quarter after outplaying the Nuggets through three frames. Some of this was due to Nikola Jokic being a bit more quiet offensively, as the three-time NBA MVP entered the fourth quarter with 15 points (less than half his season average of 31.0 PPG).

Nikola Jokic
Dec 16, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks to pass the ball against Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

While Jokic only had 15 points entering the final frame, three of them came on an impressive corner three-pointer at the third quarter buzzer.

Via NBA: “Jokić from the corner to end the 3Q 🎯”

This shot gave Denver some much-needed momentum entering the final frame. Jokic came into this game shooting an incredible 50 percent from three-point range, and showed off that ability with this corner triple.

Jokic is widely considered the frontrunner for his fourth MVP award, but there are certainly some other strong candidates as well. The Nuggets will have to start winning more games in order for Jokic to strengthen his MVP candidacy, but there is no question that his numbers are currently the best of any player in the league.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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