Poor decision-making

To contend that Nikola Jokic had a game for the ages the other day would be to understate the obvious. It wasn’t simply that he put up only the third 60-point triple-double in National Basketball Association history. It was that he burned rubber for a whopping 52 minutes and 38 seconds in so doing; he played the entire first quarter, and then, after getting some rest to start the second, stayed on the court for the remainder of the Nuggets’ homestand against the Timberwolves. That he had to expend energy extensively and still manage to remain his ultra-efficient self speaks volumes of his unparalleled skill set.

To be sure, the Nuggets needed Jokic to be at his level best in order to keep pace with the Timberwolves, especially with fellow starters Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. unable to suit up. And for a while there, it appeared as if they would prove oddsmakers right and come up with the win. Needless to say, they rode on his coattails throughout the set-to; just about every play they ran in the crunch began with the ball in his hands. Not that head coach Michael Malone had any suitable alternative; there was no other means for them to stay competitive in the face of the visitors’ spirited challenge.

At any other time, the Nuggets could well have managed to emerge triumphant. Certainly, Jokic’s extraordinary effort deserved to be duly rewarded. It’s just too bad that they failed to get out of their own way with the contest on the line. Russell Westbrook, in particular, displayed his Hyde side in snatching defeat from the throes of victory. After stealing a telegraphed pass from the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards, he saw fit to run a fastbreak, passing the ball to Christian Braun in the middle, and then streaking to the basket after getting it back. The result: a missed uncontested layup, and then, on the other end of the court, a poor foul with practically no time left that gave the opposition the deciding free throws.

Only Westbrook knows what possessed him to push the pace after his steal. In fact, the logical option would have been for him to hang on to the ball and waste precious seconds. With the Nuggets up by one at the time, there was no need for him to score. And even if he did, it would have meant a three-point lead, but with possession back to the Timberwolves. Notably, Malone and Jokic took pains to defend him in the aftermath. All the same, the setback cannot but be hard to take. A historic performance was made irrelevant, and all because he succumbed once more to poor decision-making.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.