NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LAKERS VS. NUGGETS

September 22, 2020

Nikola Jokic

Denver Nuggets

Game 3: Postgame

Denver Nuggets 114, Los Angeles Lakers 106

Q. You had a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter. They cut it to four. What are the conversations like at that point when it looks like your lead is going to collapse?

NIKOLA JOKIC: Of course, we know it's a game of runs. They had a really good run. I think we kind of stopped playing, waiting them to just quit, which would not happen.

I think even we had open looks and they continued to play zone. Jamal made really, really big shots in the end of the game and that's why we won the game.

Q. You scored 11 points in the first quarter. Was it your plan to go into the game with an aggressive mindset?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I mean, no. I'm just whatever. If I can score, I'm going to score. If I don't need to score, I'm not going to.

It happened that way. I’m never going into the game, I'm going to do this, this, this, this. I'm just going to take whatever the game's giving me. It's easier that way.

Q. With the physicality the Lakers bring, after a couple games do you feel like you started to figure out how to find your game within that?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I mean, again, they're doing their job. I'm trying to do my job. Sometimes they win, sometimes I win. It's a game, so I don't think about it as a matchup. I don't know the answer.

I'm just trying to play the game how it's supposed to be played. If they're aggressive, try to attack me, if they backing off. I'm just going to play the game.

Q. I think some people, myself included, wondered after Game 2, the tough last shot, if that was a dagger, how you would recover. Coach Malone suggested that game reminded him a little bit of the game against the Clippers early in the series that you thought you gave away. To what degree of confidence did you come out with tonight, and did that Game 2 actually do you some good?

NIKOLA JOKIC: Yeah, I mean, I said from where we were against Portland last year. We play four overtimes, lost, then we won the next game. Then the Clippers, too. We just don't want to quit. That's the mentality.

Maybe they can beat us by 20, 30. But we just cannot quit, you know. Effort needs to be there.

Q. Monte Morris last year said he's got to be better in the Playoffs, promised after the first experience he was going to be better. He has been. What's been the thing you think he has most brought you guys?

NIKOLA JOKIC: He's always good. I think he doesn't have a bad game. Sometimes he cannot score, but he's doing the right thing that he's supposed to do. He's helping us during the games. Sometimes it's the matchups. Sometimes it’s just the circumstances on the floor, that we cannot have him on the floor.

I think he's doing a really good job of making plays for us. When he's open, he's knocking the shots down. He's playing really good for us.

Q. Malone just said you guys have two superstars, yourself and Jamal. How much faith do you have in him from what you've seen over the past few Playoff rounds and where have you seen him grow and meet the moment?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I mean, he was injured before. When we came here, he was kind of struggling with the shoulder, with the elbow, I don't know what it was.

But I really believe in him. I think he can make the big shots. He is built for the big shots. I really, truly believe that he's a superstar and he's a really big part of this team.

He carried us today, a bunch of nights. I'm really glad that he's my teammate.

Q. It always helps when you and Jamal are really going, to have a third person going. How much did Jerami's game tonight help you guys?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I think Monte played really well, too. I think Jerami played amazing. In that third quarter, I think he had like 10, 12, 15 points. I don't know how many.

He was really aggressive. He was going to the rims. That's what we need from him. He was going to the defense. He's a big guy, can finish around the rim. He played really well today. He's going to do that in the next games.

Q. How important for you was to react after the loss of Game 2? Do you think this win will give you momentum for the next games?

NIKOLA JOKIC: It seems like every series is kind of the same for us. Even Utah, we lost the first. Did we? The first game? Sorry, it's not (smiling).

I mean, I think the game before, we saw that we could play with them. The first game, they were just really aggressive. They were making shots. We were kind of one step slower than them. They were kind of surprising us in every way, by the pace, by the rebounding. Second game we kind of knew what we were going to see out on the floor.

Today it was just a really good night for us. We were playing really good defense I think. Just we need to figure out that big run that they had, we cannot let that happen.

But, yeah, it was a big win for us today.