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Nikola JokiÄ is struggling in the playoffs, leading to the Nuggets trailing 2-1 against the Timberwolves. His poor performance, including a 5-for-24 shooting from three-point range, raises concerns about Denver's chances in Game 4.
Nikola JokiÄ is playing the worst series of his entire NBA career.
This is not a hot take. Through three games, JokiÄās jumper has betrayed him, his two-man game with Jamal Murray has stalled, Rudy Gobert has contained him in the paint, and his defense isnāt getting stops.
The Nuggets are down 2-1 and on the road in Minnesota for a pivotal Game 4. How did we get here? One domino at a time.
Five-for-24. That's JokiÄ's line from beyond the arc so far against Minnesota. This isnāt just a little three-game cold stretch either.
After JokiÄ returned in January from his 16-game absence thanks to a hyperextended knee, his 3-pointer didnāt come back with him. JokiÄ shot 44% from 3 prior to the injury, comparable to his 42% last season. But since he got back: 32% during the season, and now just 21% through three games of the playoffs. Blame the rust, blame the rhythm, blame the knee ā the diagnosis doesn't really matter. The shot is gone.
The Timberwolves are basically daring JokiÄ to shoot 3s, having Gobert back off him and stay in the paint before closing back out short. And JokiÄ is giving the Wolves what they want by chucking away.
Minnesotaās ability to sag off JokiÄ has effectively neutralized the normally lethal actions involving JokiÄ and Murray.
ā KevinOVideo (@NBAVIDE0S) April 24, 2026
Murrayās defender can fight over the screen to prevent him from taking clean 3s. Heās making only 22% of his 3s in the series. And since Gobert is in the paint, Murray has nowhere to drive. Heās making only 31% of his shots in the paint with JokiÄ on the floor, down from 56% during the season.
Since JokiÄ is being given more space on the perimeter, Murray has less room to operate. And as a result, Murray and JokiÄ are generating only 0.96 points per handoff, and only 0.93 points per pick-and-rolls ā their worst marks since 2018-19 against the Spurs. That was their first playoff series together.
With JokiÄ struggling on the perimeter, the inside hasn't been a refuge for him either. JokiÄ is shooting only 44% inside the arc with Gobert as the closest defender.
Nikola JokiÄ has a shooting percentage of 5-for-24 from beyond the arc in the playoffs against Minnesota.
Rudy Gobert has contained Nikola JokiÄ in the paint, contributing to JokiÄ's struggles in the series.
The Nuggets are currently down 2-1 in the series against the Timberwolves.
Game 4 is pivotal for the Denver Nuggets as they aim to avoid falling further behind in the series.

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ā KevinOVideo (@NBAVIDE0S) April 24, 2026
Gobert is showing why heās a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, living in JokiÄās airspace with his 7-foot-9 wingspan meeting him at the rim on every drive. Even when the Nuggets run JokiÄ through screens as an attempt to spring him open, Gobert is effectively sticking to him and preventing easy scoring chances.
JokiÄ seems spooked. Throughout the series, he has made some uncharacteristic, sloppy decisions, passing the ball out of situations in which heād normally shoot. Most notably at the end of Game 2 when he had a floater but opted to pass to Christian Braun, who got fouled and missed both free throws.
This is happening despite the fact that Minnesota isnāt doubling JokiÄ. If Gobert alone can effectively guard JokiÄ, then passing windows will continue to shut a lot sooner than the Nuggets are used to.
The Nuggets are posting a 107.4 offensive rating in the half-court ā down from their scorching 122 rating during the season.
Minnesota is getting more looks on the break: 14.7% of its offensive plays come in transition. Thatād rank fifth-highest in the league over a full season. Denver ranked fifth-lowest. Sometimes your best defense is your best offense, and right now Denverās offensive struggles are hurting the defense.
But even in the half-court, the Nuggetsā defense is struggling. Braun got paid $125 million this offseason and canāt contain dribble penetration. Peyton Watson is out with a hamstring strain. Aaron Gordon missed Game 3 with a calf injury and wasnāt himself before that either. And JokiÄās defensive struggles have carried over from the regular season.
Nikola Jokic had some really rough defensive possessions in the second half of last night's loss. pic.twitter.com/B0sB21hVcF
ā Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) April 21, 2026
JokiÄ was a far more impactful defender in each of his three MVP seasons, and better last year too. The hyperextended knee may have sapped the agility he needed to change directions in tight spaces. Right now, he looks like the younger, heavier version of himself who gave drivers a free lane to the rim.
Jaden McDaniels dunking all over Nikola Jokicā¦Nuggets proved him right tonight pic.twitter.com/ez97nVdeoU
ā Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) April 24, 2026
Jaden McDaniels said after Game 2 that the Nuggets have all bad defenders. He listed JokiÄ first. So far, JokiÄ is proving him right.
Right now, JokiÄ and head coach David Adelman are giving Minnesota exactly what it wants: JokiÄ 3-pointers. Meanwhile, theyāve forgotten the post. JokiÄ averaged 7.2 post-ups per game during the season. That has fallen to only 15 total through three games. Maybe using the post more wouldnāt work ā Gobert has bothered JokiÄ everywhere else ā but itās worth a try. In past series against Gobert, JokiÄ post-ups have generated 1.2 points per play. That dwarfs anything else Denver is running right now.
JokiÄ and Gobert have been colliding since 2020 with two seven-game series, a five-game series, and our current battle. On paper, the arc has mostly bent JokiÄ's way. He outlasted Gobert's Jazz in the 2020 bubble. He dismissed Gobert's Wolves in five in 2023. Even when Minnesota took the 2024 semis in seven, a defining image of that series was Game 5 ā on the night JokiÄ accepted his third MVP, he torched the Wolves for 40 points, 13 assists, and zero turnovers. Anthony Edwards said afterward: āI just laugh. That's all I can do.ā
While the series wins belong to JokiÄ, the possessions, quietly, belong to Gobert. Through 21 career playoff games between them, Gobert is a +63 in his on-court minutes. JokiÄ is a -6. So maybe what's happening now isn't a flip. Maybe the scoreboard is catching up.
You can still believe in JokiÄ, and I do, but itās impossible not to look at these games and feel the floor shifting. He looks like a shell of himself. His running mates are banged up. Gobert looks better than ever. Maybe this is just Minnesotaās year, and maybe thatās all there is to it.
The Nuggets can still win this series. Just not like this. The cleanest path back for JokiÄ may not be to go find his jumper. It may be to stop taking it.