The List: Nikola Jokic dropping dimes

1. I have no idea if playing Nikola Jokic alongside three guards/wings is the best way to win games, but I am certain it’s the best way to get the most highlights out of Jokic. With Paul Millsap out nursing a twisted ankle and Mason Plumlee out with three quick fouls, Jokic got some run alongside Michael Porter Jr., Monte Morris, Will Barton, and Torrey Craig. The result? Well, this happened.

2. A good cut to the basket provides value even when that cut doesn’t result in an immediate bucket for the cutter. The clip below provides a great demonstration of how a well-timed cut can occupy the defense and start a chain reaction that opens up a shot for a teammate down the line.

3. This “wedge roll” play is a Jokic special, designed to get the big fella cutting toward the right block. Most of the time Jokic will cut above the screen, forcing his defender to chase him over the top. In the clip below, he deliberately went below the screen to force Patrick McCaw, an undersized guard, to switch onto him.

4. Absent Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, the Raptors played a lot of zone against the Nuggets in an effort to pack the paint. But zone defense is vulnerable in a few key areas. Three-point shooting, offensive rebounding, and well-timed drives or cuts toward the paint. The Nuggets made 18 threes on 50% shooting, grabbed 14 second chance points, and did a nice job of getting the ball into the paint thanks to plays like the one in the example below.

Watch how Will Barton dribbles from the wing toward the top of the key, forcing the zone defenders to switch roles right as Jerami Grant cuts toward the free throw line.

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