Nikola Jokic Reacts to Clippers Playing Small-Ball Against Him
The LA Clippers went small down the stretch of Tuesday night's loss to the Denver Nuggets, opting for PJ Tucker on the reigning Finals MVP for some of the game's most critical possessions. When asked after the game about his approach against this coverage, Jokic said nothing changes for him
"To be honest [the approach] didn't change," Jokic said. "I think the good thing about them, they are aggressive, no matter who guards, like if you see they are pressing full court, and they always have their hands on our body. They are always kind of aggressive, and that's a good thing about him, but it didn't change nothing. I was trying to play the same way I have played my whole life. But yes, PJ [Tucker] is a good defender of course, he is strong, and he moves his feet good."
Per the NBA's matchup data, Tucker guarded Jokic on 12 possessions, in which Jokic shot 0/3 from the field with two turnovers. While the NBA's matchup data is imperfect in assessing who a primary defender is on each possession, it is a decent reference for individual matchup trends.
This was not a great game from the field for Jokic, who shot just 8/23, but his 9 assists led everyone, and they were often a product of the Clippers sending help when a smaller defender was on Jokic.
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