[Highlight] Game-winner for Denver goes in and out of the hoop for a Mav victory
People saying Jokic should shoot that but Watson is shooting almost 56% on corner threes so far this season and it’s wide open.
That’s the best shot possible there.
Yeah, like that’s one of the best plays almost any other game. Just bad luck that Watson ran cold.
Plus… it’s Nikola Jokic making the pass. I trust his decision making a lot more than the brilliant minds on the internet, so if he thought that was the right play, then that was the right play. You win some, you lose some.
Exactly! It’s Nikola Jokic for god’s sake. He’s always gonna go for an optimal, team-winning play.
It’s absurd that some people actually want Jokic to take that shot vs 4 other dudes LMAO
I mean that just kinda shows how crazy Jokic is and the expectation we have for him haha
I mean stats wise, I believe hes the one of the most accurate in history from that range. I will take that over a 3pt shot any day. Is what it is.
This for sure. If there is any one player I trust to make the right play with the game on the line it’s Jokic.
Plus, it went in and out. What are we complaining about? No one shoots 100%, even in an open gym.
Yeah it’s kind of the lebron criticism redux. The open man is the right play.
Not if you only need 2 points to win. This is the equivalent of a very long 2.
This is the dumbest thing ever. The right shot is the one you’re most likely to make. Yeah, great, toss the ball under the hoop and hope you don’t have 5 guys close right in on you. The Mavs were so bamboozled they needed to catch a taxi to get to him in the corner. Corner 3 like that, open, is like a 60 percenter at least.
Always take the wide open shot over the contested. Especially when he’s that wide open. These guys do this for a living
pwat is shooting over 50% on that shot, so no it isn’t
I think the thing with LeBron is prime LeBron gets an open layup or dunk every time. He made the right basketball play for 99% of players in nba history but for him it might’ve been wrong. LeBron used to put his head down vs the Warriors and just get an easy bucket and there was nothing they could do.
Jokic is like 70% on that floater shot
AD hounding him from behind changes that calculus.
Exactly this. In real time, I thought it was gonna get blocked. Looking at the video, it’s still hard to tell, because of the slight difference on the pass vs the shot. I think it gets blocked if he takes it. Absolutely the right call.
he had literally 4 players collapsing on him
Typical results based thinkers. Jokic makes the right play. Gets his teammate a great look and high percentage shot. Just didn’t go in. Shit happens.
Open 3s are not a high percentage shot, it’s an efficient shot. On a possession where 2 points and 3 points makes no diff, its better to take the higher percentage one, not the more efficient one.
pwat is shooting 56% from the corner
That’s the right play the previous 47 minutes of the game. And I am not saying Jokic, by any means, made a bad play. But this is a shot on the road down 1 with time expiring.
I’d rather have Jokic, an MVP and top 3 player in the world, taking the shot than anyone in the world taking a corner 3.
And Jokic is literally shooting like 75% within 5 feet. Mostly on shots that look like that.
So the last minute of the game you should ignore data and just go with “better player” shot selection? I would be very surprised if he shoots 75% on shots as covered as that one
Yeah, cuz earlier in the game shooting 50% 3pa is always the right choice over a 70% 2pa (1.5 expected points vs 1.4) but on the last second of the game when you need a bucket, a 70% chance is better than a 50% chance of making the shot.
There’s no way that Jokic is shooting 70% on that shot with 4 on him. Expected points dont matter on the last play of the game. You have to get the best shot you can get. If this is the right play the first 47 minutes it’s also the right play in the last minute. No way you are arguing this if that shot went in.
Yeah cuz earlier in the game you have possessions remaining…
Yea this is the whole reason your results based thinking is wrong. If you don’t understand no one can save you.
Yeah props to the Mavs for the win. But Denver wasn’t weak and made a solid comeback. Feels like they just started slow. Good game overall for the neutral fans. Let’s just be happy it wasn’t a landslide.
I don’t hate the pass but I do think down 1 with Cody Martin on him I think he scores on that 9 times out of 10 or at least gets fouled. If it was a 2 point game and you want the win, sure.
I wouldn’t have said him shooting on Martin was the wrong shot is all.
He had 0 fts this game. Refs ain’t calling the foul, especially in the final seconds.
Watson is the last option of the 3 possible. Hardaway who made 7⁄9 wide open in the other corner, Jamal open behind him, jokic could have just laid it up, Watson 0 made shots in the game.
Looked like he coulda walked in and taken a much shorter 2
Pretty sure Jokic shoots like 90% from that spot sooooo… Honestly though I think I might take the Jokic contested floater over a 56% shot considering 2 or 3 doesn’t matter
Fuck that. As a Mavs fan, i want Watson shooting that 100 out of 100 times instead of Jokic
On ~40 attempts. Small sample alert.
Yeah, but Jokic is shooting like 70% on shots from that range. Sure, most of those are not this contested, but when down 1, I would put my bet on Jokic hitting a close jump shot.
Anyone who says that knows nothing about basketball. The guy had a wide open corner 3 it was like the perfect play. When did you last see someone that open for a game winner attempt? In practice he’d probably make 15 in a row
Yeah. Just because it wasnt made doesnt mean it wasnt the right play
Except it doesn’t need to be a 3
Thanks for the context because I would’ve thought he’s shooting a lot worse from there
I trust the decision of one of, if not THE best big man of our generation over people on the internet. If he thought him shooting was the best shot, he would have shot it. People miss, ridiculous pass tho
Ben Simmons in shambles
No you’re wrong, Reddit says he’s supposed to make a layup against Shaq coverage instead of finding the highest-percentage shot on the floor
but um what makes you think these professional couch sitter are wrong, just put any of them in there and watch them score 100% of the time instead of making dumb moves like Jokic did
that’s gotta hurt to miss
Pwat is 0/3, 0% field goal, 4points total from free throw line tonight. He is wide wide open though. Joke always trust his team mate.
Not our night. GG Mavs.
Mavs vs Nuggets always brings out bangers. My heart can’t take it.
That left handed game winner from Kyrie over Jokic is still one of my favorites
It sucked but you had to appreciate the difficulty. If you’re gonna lose on a buzzer beater that’s the way to go
I 100% agree with you and making this play but it’s hilarious how LeBron has got shit on his entire career for doing exactly this but it’s fine when Jokic does it
One of the most viscerally devastated reactions from a player missing a clutch shot. Watson’s going to be running this play over and over again in his head for a while.
He just crumpled :(
Lol the other Nuggets players were already celebrating like he’s Steph Curry.
Hurts for both teams, since as a Mavs fan I want higher odds to get a higher pick. Don’t tell Silver
Man that was a great play design
Yeah it looked like the Nuggets knew exactly what the Mavs were going to do. Jokic passed the ball without even glancing at PWat. Brown sets the screen on Flagg to prevent any potential closeout. It’s not just the right play by the Joker. It’s the drawn play if anything.
And Watson is shooting over 55% from that corner this season.
murray also open in the back. they had options for open shots.
an open shot for final shot is always great.
AD would have snuffed Murray out. Jokic made the absolute right choice, the winds just weren’t blowing their way that night.
3 wide open shots available
watson is usually money from corner 3 honestly thats the best shot they couldve gotten
He was shooting 55% I believe before tonight
From the corner or in total?
Corner, 41% total I think it was
Right play until it doesn’t go in unfortunately
Still the right play
I mean if I knew watson was gna miss, I will gamble on jokic shooting over 3 defenders
Very brave call not choosing a guaranteed miss in that scenario
Pwat was shooting 55% on corner 3s. I will live with him shooting that shot
Why don’t teams just avoid shots that are gonna miss and instead attempt shots that are gonna go in?
Yeah no shit
Mavs thought the same thing…Taking a wide open Watson shooting a high percentage in that corner over Jokic taking a tough floater/leaner…
We gotta check the % of Jokic taking a tough floater vs the % of Watson taking a wide open corner 3.
If we take away the fact that it’s a 2pt vs a 3pt, since both gives the same result here, what is the %?
A wide open 3 may be a highly efficient shot throughout the game, but it may not be the best shot when down 1 on a last possession
Yeah if Jokic misses the contested floater we’d be like watson was wide open
you never get mad when your future HOF and top 10 player of all time takes a game winning shot
Respectfully Watson has been terrible most of his NBA career no one would be saying that bullshit
Psst I ain’t even mad at Watson, I’m mad at jokic for not trying himself. Why put the pressure on the youngin
He was quadruple teamed
Which is why part of why I wouldn’t be as mad. Either he takes it or passes it to Jamal or tim
To prepare the youngin for OKC in the playoffs?
Damn didn’t even think about that. This could be precious experience for the team. Its hilarious that I think Jokic basically sandbagging and forcing his young teammates to do crazy shit is a real possibility LMAO
then it was still the right play
Absolutely not, I don’t care if 3 guys are on him, Jokic taking a floater down a point is better than an open 3 from a spotty shooter that didn’t make a shot tonight
Exactly. I don’t think Watson was even expecting that ball
Why is everyone saying Jokic should shoot that as if the entire Mavs team isn’t in the paint with him and like 3 are ready to contest it
Only Gafford really had any chance of altering Jok’s shot. Guys were crashing but he could’ve gotten it off clean.
Just bodies on him would have made the shot way tougher. Just taking 1 defenders body contact and getting in a shot is considered good, can you imagine somehow managing 3 players pushing you around and still getting the shot in?
Sounds like a gamble to me, and % wise Watson was better. Oh well.
literally looked like AD was gonna block it
because his 8 foot floater is literally like 85%. they only needed 1 point and Watson only scored 4 points all game with zero 3s made this game. i was shocked to see Jokic pass that
It is literally like 85% because of good shot selection. This wasn’t a good shot.
Because he’s the best offensive player in the league right now
Because they take that shot when they play 2K and replay the game if they miss.
Absolutely killing us from 3 all game, thought it was in
That 3rd quarter was something else
Fucking Tim hardaway heater lmao. He went 0-4 in the 4th, so on par for him.
Jokic has the whole fucking team guarding him, no shit he passed it out.
It was a phenomenal play and look though, devastating to miss that.
That shot gave me Aaron Nesmith vibes earlier this season
So many good options, ended up going with a statistically great corner 3 point shooter but I think I’m living with Jokic taking a contested floater (imagine the aura if he hit that over the head no-look pass to Murray or Hardaway though lol)
Also I hate that shot clock violation call, Nuggets probably would’ve had a huge man advantage running down the court after the Nembhard airball
Look at his reaction to it going in and out.
Poor kid. You’ll have yours one day.
I got so hype until I saw him kick it out to Watson
Bruh
Right play wrong outcome. They’ll surely get to Try again.
Jokic too unselfish
Jokic made the right basketball play here. A heavily contested shot guarded by multiple defenders is always going to be a worse shot than an open corner 3.
It looks heavily contested but Jokic was up before all 3 Mavs in the paint, it was basically an open shot for him and he has the best floater touch in NBA history.
It’s what people knocked LeBron for when he passed to roleplayers in the clutch.
Not true when down 1. In that sense the 3 point has the same value as a 2point. So it’s only the % that counts, not the expected value of the play
Should’ve had Jokic at the 3 with AD guarding him. He would’ve made that with his eyes closed.
except they would triple him to try to trap
if i were Jokic id take the contested 2. he could make that.
Its fine, he’s forging his fellas in fire for the playoffs this season. Its gonna be wild haha. Imagine Pwat is in the same position in playoffs and makes it, it’d be really funny in retrospect.
people are acting like jokic royally fucked up here when hindsight is 50⁄50
I haven’t really felt it since the championship season, but this Nuggets team has the come back from any deficit ability that took us all the way. It’s not great that this was a roller coaster game, but to see multiple 15+ points down comebacks in one game kinda solidifies it for me, of course, we’ve seen it against other teams.
In hindsight, should have passed it to THJ. Looks like he sights him and still goes to watson.
It was the right play. He was as open as can be and I trust Watson in that corner more than anywhere else…But Jokic is making that layup like 65% there and sometimes I wish he was just a bit more selfish.
If Jokic is making that layup 65% there then it’s not the right play. By passing he is literally reducing the % to win.
What a brutal loss, that is almost always for pwat
Shoot that
Jokic should have just shot it
Jokic should’ve just gone for the 2 here
too much pressure for Watson and you don’t need 3
Entire damn Mavs team in the paint tho
Wide open pass to a good enough shooter. It was the right call
Hindsight is a bitch, I’ll tell you that.
Skip bayless ahh take
Counterpoint: Watson needs more big game shots like that to prep him for a bigger role in the playoffs.
Too much pressure is such a BS excuse for an NBA player… just the other day there was an article posted here about Watson being too expensive for Denver to keep
Two things can be true at once:
That was the right basketball play. The corner three is Watson’s shot, it was uncontested, and it rattled in and out
Jokic should’ve just shot it. He made it to his spot. Watson hadn’t made a basket in the game prior to this, and Jokic sank a floater from there like 10 seconds before this. No one would’ve blamed Jokic if HE had missed. Sometimes the star should make the game winning play
That’s Jokić’s shot from that range, doesn’t he shoot like 70% there?
But AD is so close behind and gafford in front so probably high chance of getting blocked
Denver is really bad defensively without AG
Jokic takes that shot and misses “Bro why would you take that shot?”
Jokic with the LeBron to Donyell moment
I’d want Joker 10⁄10 passing out of that spot. I’m not buying that star/role player final shot bs here.
Good play, Watson will need situations like this one especially if Cam is out for a while.
somebody educate me… both teams played 2 bigs down the stretch. JV + Jokic vs Gafford + AD. was it the Mavs trying to match Denver’s size or was it the other way around?
5 guys around Jok, lol
Not gonna get a better look than that. Basically a coinflip.
this is just like me when i choke in a decisive 1v1 clutch situation in counter strike
SMH
This was way more about the Mavs executing perfectly then Jokic dropping the ball
Ball don’t lie
These mfs could not miss from 3 the whole second half, and how they got back into the game, serves them right to lose on a miss wide open 3
In hindsight, Hardaway was open in another corner. And THJ had much better shooting night tonight than PWat.
Why peop are defending Jokic lol.
I’m literally the biggest JOK stan on mother earth but it alwasy drives me mad how unselfish he is in a bunch of clutch moments. I hate that in Jok.
Lmao Jamal Murray such a loser in this clip
Edit: lol. Lmao even
First sign of Jokic slowing down, Prime Jok would’ve spinned 360 and elbow passed to Murray
/s perfect play, unlucky.
Mavs are winning
Thunder are losing
I can’t tell u how many damn comments I read from people overreacting about both teams not too long ago.
NBA fans don’t seem to learn shit
Down by 1… why not draw up something for a midrange/lob/layup? Anything high percentage would’ve worked, but I don’t think p watson ever developed his 3pt shot enough…
You have Nikola jokic on your basketball team and you need just two points to win a game. I don’t care how good the play was going to anybody but him to take the last shot in that situation is ridiculous
All the top teams in the west keep losing, good.
It’s been a minute since I haven’t seen or heard “Fire Nico” from Mavs fans.
Damn that was a perfect pass, hit him right in the shooters pockets.
I’m curious, would Mavs fans pick Flagg on a rookie deal or Luka on the max right now?
Not saying the trade wasn’t beyond stupid, but if the NBa did ensure Nico the First overall pick, it make more sense.
It was 1000% the right play, wide open, good look, just didn’t go in. Honestly we lost this game in the first quarter. Gave the mavs a ton of confidence and momentum. Flagg is the real deal.
Sometimes it be like that.
Murray is knocking that down
My favorite thing about basketball is seeing the entire arena erupt at the same time, even if it’s a failed buzzer beater
What a terrifying play, 3 open shooters
I need joker to shoot that
He’s got 4 dudes on him, the correct play is to pass to the open guy, whoever it might be. You ain’t getting a better look than that on that play lol
As soon as he stepped through on Martin, it was an open floater. He bumped Martin into Gafford and AD was behind him. It was an open push shot for him the right.
Doesn’t he have like 3 guys on him?
Lmaoo this exactly how LeBron used to get killed in the media for passing to a wide open teammate in the clutch rather than taking it up on the whole team.
If Pwat made that you wouldnt be posting this. Why didnt u post this when Lebron broke his streak and passed it to Hachimura?
Exact play I thought of after this happened. Same exact play, just different outcome, but you still have to make the smart basketball play there.
and shoot a heavily contested shot over 4 guys? he made the right call passing it to an open man
That didn’t look heavily contested to me. Primary defender is 6’7 and no other defender n the paint is close enough to alter the shot
You’re right. AD is behind him and Gafford didn’t jump, that just needs to go over Martin
Yup that’s what I saw too
This is the guy who has let Jamal Murray take more shots than him in multiple full seasons, playoffs and clutch shots, you can’t change him
KD and Jokic are very different players but both of them have absolutely no desire to take more shots
KD takes way more shots than Jokic still and he’s called passive lol
Brother, he had a quintuple team on him. This was a right play even tho watt missed the shot.
To be fair, there are literally five players surrounding him, but I need him to pass to THJ or Murray there, not Watson. You cannot trust Watson with that shot.
Watson is shooting like 50+% on corner 3s this season. I will live with him taking that open shot
Jokic thought he had Rui in the corner like LeBron did
Jokic is in the paint, just needs to score a 2 pointer like he’s been doing all game, and passes to the corner???
brother 5 people were on him
You can see the literal low basketball IQ from the comments in this post. That’s the right play, every single time.
Why doesn’t he just score always? Is he stupid?
Makes you wonder if people watch the games.
AD was too far behind him. Gafford didn’t jump. He had a 4 footer vs Watson shooting a 3 but he missed both shots prior and didn’t make a fg all game. Would’ve rather had Jokic shoot it any day
Like 3 people on him that would be an awful shot
He’s like Lebron in that at times he’ll make the technically right play even if it’s not ideal
No that’s just an objectively better shot
With 4 guys on him when there’s someone wide open in the corner? Obviously jokic did the right play
There are literally 5 people in the paint 😂
he drew the quintuple team and you think a pass is a bad idea
Are you fucking blind
you mean to the wide open guy?
That’s why you get role players to take the last shot
Good fuck Jamal Murray
Jokic doing lebron bs, shoot that shit bro
Joker gotta shot that down 1. Had a floater right there.
Brother he’s 200% contested lol