5 snack: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Donner confidently takes on the leading role in victory over nuggets

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Oklahoma City – There was the foreseeable, unmistakable, hopelessly biased and perhaps precise singing of “MVP!” Beat in Paycom Center when he went to the Free Wurfine on Sunday. Of course, this was intended for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but maybe there was another goal.

Perhaps you were also thought that Nikola Jokić could also hear, because the two-man purity hunt, if you still want to describe the persecution of the award so late into the season, Gilgeous-Alexander away for the moment, if not forever.

A player, like his custom, spent the day falling out of the elbow. The other had applied ice cream on his elbows.

And so is that a wrap? This season, Gilgeous-Alexander saw 40 points for the third game in a row in the third game duration (and 40th game with more than 30 points) for the third game (and the 40th game with over 30 points) and led the thunder to another victory, since OKC now led 52-11 and practically as a western conference as a top seed of the western conference.

In the meantime, Jokić worked with a right elbow that stole his shooting accuracy and, given his obvious value for the Nuggets, played every chance that this game was fascinating.

Here are five snack bars from the 127-103 victory of OKC and the KIA MVP race, which is shy before building:

1. Jokić takes a tumble, no longer rumbles

Less than two days earlier, Jokić provided another of his unlimited appearances. This was the epic 30-20-20 game points, rebounds, assists, all reminded of his season and set up this interesting back-to-back set with OKC and Gilgeous-Alexander.

For Jokić, who had a hot start, everything was fine until he absorbed a foul in the late quarter of Isaiah Hartenstein, which fell on a previously problematic elbow.

From there, Jokić was not the same and was missing with 3-converter (directly at one point seven) and free throws. A 57% shooter made only 10 out of 23 off the ground and more revealing, 2 out of 6 from the line. Everyone knew that the elbow was a problem except Jokić.

“It’s sore, but it’s okay,” he said and declined every apology.

While he probably had restrictions that could be minimized against fewer teams, OKC shows no mercy. Team President Sam Presti partially built this team to combat such a dangerous tall man as the three -time MVP.

When Hartenstein, a solid rebounder and defender with a low post, was signed last summer, this was in mind with Jokić. So there are Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, a few seven footers and Jaylen Williams-Desen 3-pointer Jokić forced the color to make life uncomfortable.

“We have this luxury,” said OKC coach Mark Daigneult. “We were able to throw different people on him. It was a team performance of our defense. “

Without a high quality backup, Jokić is forced to loud and avoid bad problems, and this situation was through … by …

2. A no-go for Gordon

If the nuggets play against a team loaded with height, you need Aaron Gordon forward to give you some physicality and presence, especially defensive to relieve Jokić from the load.

But that only evaporated seven minutes when Gordon left with a right wading and attached another illness to one season full of them.

Any investigation of the poor defense of the nuggets this season can be attributed to Gordon’s non -availability. He played in just 37 out of 64 games and forced the nuggets to assign a replacement when sitting on top scorers and rebounders to protect top scorers and rebounders.

With a reservations against OKC for Monday, Gordon could miss another game or be limited if he should play. When he misses games, there is a domino effect – Zeke Nnaji increases the minutes and Jokić often has to offer double teams in color and leave his husband open.

Above all, however, the defense of the nuggets becomes so much weaker; They give up the second most common points among the top 10 teams in relation to the west rating.

3. Gilgeous-Alexander sizzles again

Let us occur on the right: Gilgeous-Alexander again strengthens his case for the award, while he does the same for perception that OKC is the team that can be beat.

He dropped his 40 in 35 minutes and brought eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks – one of them on Jokić. Again, the fingerprints of Gilgeous-Alexander were left behind at both ends.

The most lively is how his points come in the game flow. He rarely forces shots. He is looking for his place. He identified what the defense of the nuggets offered him and took it – in fact, it snapped, actually

Gilgeous-Alexander has 20 or more points in 58 games in a row. The consistency and efficiency for the league evaluation manager.

Even Jokić was enough for him.

“He didn’t complicity,” he said. “He knows what to do. He leads the team and is really good for them. “

V.

The nuggets are in a virtual bond for second place in the west, which sounds theoretically respectable, but reality screams something else.

It is a 12-game lead over the Nuggets (and Lakers) for OKC and it seems even bigger. This is because the thunder has the MVP leader (according to the latest KIA MVP manager) who are defensively elite, win games without Gilgeous-Alexander and can offer another all-star in Williams.

That was all on Sunday with her airy 24-point victory against a “candidate”. Oklahoma City can rest more often Gilgeous-Alexander than the Nuggets because Williams (26 points, nine rebounds, eight templates) can take on the role of the first option and the bank is five deep. This makes OKC together, which means if two or three players have problems not to worry, the next man is ready to take the stairs.

And even when things go wrong … Lu missed a breakaway Dunk, Okc collected the loose ball, which found his way there for a 3-hand. Sometimes things work simply.

5. Jokić needs help

Too often this season either Michael Porter Jr. or Jamal Murray – or sometimes both – simply disappear. Their effects are minimal and creates Jokić, who has no team-mate in his prime make game or all-defensive team.

Porter was effective on Sundays (24 points, 15 rebounds), less for Murray (he missed 11 of 17 shots). With Gordon on the bench after a quarter, your contributions or the absence of you are increased.

There were times when Murray was in a dog offer … with there for the second best Canadian on the floor. This is Murray, who once won a championship and signed a Max contract last summer. This is there that was naughty.

So here is the situation for Denver: Jokić has only hours to recover from a pennel arch before the next game, possibly without Gordon.

He was great this season, he cannot win the MVP alone. His teammates have to win it for him – if that is possible after Sunday.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can send him an email Herefind His archive here And Follow him on X.

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