Jokic provoked in Phoenix as LA Lakers continue to spring surprises

Jokić’s brakes give way

The series between Phoenix and Denver has turned in Denver’s favour, after the initial lead of the top-ranked team in the West. Both teams won on their home floor. We saw outstanding individual performances on both sides. Nikola Jokić was always on the verge of a triple-double and Aaron Gordon added his own defensive effort. On the other hand, the Durant-Booker duo in particular showed up on the home floor.

“I’m just trying to win. Individual performance is not important to me. We have to keep attacking and playing aggressively. If that means going to open shots and making them, then that’s what I have to do,” said Nikola Jokić after Game 3.

The series was also marked by an incident involving Nikola Jokić, who got into a conflict with the audience – specifically even Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia.

Suspension or just a fine?

It happened when the Serbian star tried to make a quick outlet pass to the Denver team, and one of the fans, as it later turned out to be Ishbia, grabbed the ball in such a way that Jokić was unable to retrieve it. A full-scale brawl broke out and the press conference was about everything but basketball.

“I allegedly elbowed a fan. But the fan grabbed me first. I thought the league should protect us. I don’t know, maybe I was wrong,”

said Jokić. Asked if he knew who it was, he replied:

“If he is sitting by the court, he is a fan, isn’t that right? Whoever he is, he shouldn’t influence the game and hold the ball.”

The final epilogue? Nikola Jokić walked away without a suspension after the incident with Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia. The Denver star was fined €22,700 by the NBA management.

The LA Lakers continue their remarkable streak

After beating Memphis 4-2 in the opening round of the playoffs, they are now just one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors can’t find a recipe for LeBron James, Anthony Davis and others heading down the old glory road. When they won the opening game of the series on an away game, the situation immediately became very complicated. The reigning NBA champions were caught in a loop and knew they had to impress in the City of Angels. There is no more room for error.

Curry without motivated teammates

If Golden State’s game last year was based on the famous trio of Curry, Thompson and Green, this year we can see that only the best scorer in the history of the league has kept the form of the past years. Injuries have added to the problem, but there simply isn’t enough help, which is not enough for the Lakers, who are hungry to prove themselves. At 38, the team’s number one star, LeBron James, is not slowing down. The Lakers could produce one of the biggest surprises of the season. A few rounds before the end of the regular season, it looked like they wouldn’t even make the playoffs, and now they are on the verge of being one of the top two teams in the same conference.

Miami is heading to the Conference Finals!

The Miami Heat are one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, just like the LA Lakers. The New York Knicks seem to be unable to keep in check with Jimmy Butler and company. Experience also plays a part, as the Manhattan team has no players with experience at this level. In any case, Eric Spoelsta’s team can be satisfied with the way things have gone so far, as they are the last – eighth seed – to enter the playoffs!

“Without this fight, where we had to find different solutions to win, with different guys stepping up for moments like this, we wouldn’t be in the competition today. There are no easy games in the regular season and there are no easy games in the playoffs. If you accept that, there is no doubt that you are stronger collectively,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.

Despite the Knicks’ home win in Game 5, Miami still seems to have no problem playing the series to its advantage.

Philadelphia and Boston 3:3

Predicting the winner of this series is almost impossible. The two teams are so evenly matched that the final winner will be decided by the little things. The MVP of the season went to the 76ers’ star Joel Embiid, but a poor performance and a defeat for his team immediately followed. At the moment, James Harden seems to be the star of Philadelphia’s side, while on the other side Jason Tatum is struggling to find his feet.