Lost amid the well-deserved awe of Jamal Murray’s fourth-quarter explosion in Game 2 has been the brilliance of Nikola Jokic during the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.
The Nuggets All-Star’s dominance has been atypical. Jokic is averaging 15.5 points in the opening two games against the Spurs, which is almost five points below his season average (20.1). Yet, he is a seismic figure in several other areas. It is the reason why the Serbian is currently tied with none other than James Harden for second in the playoffs in player efficiency rating at 32.0. Only the Warriors’ Stephen Curry has a better rating at 38.