NBA Champion Makes Bold Statement About Nikola Jokic
Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce sent out a post on X about (Denver Nuggets) Nikola Jokic.
On Wednesday evening, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 116-107 (at home) in Colorado.
The Nuggets took over in the second half, and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic led the way with 41 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals while shooting 16/20 from the field and 2/2 from the three-point range in 38 minutes of playing time.
Following the game, Boston Celtics legend (and Basketball Hall of Famer) Paul Pierce sent out a post on X that had over 4,000 likes.
Jokic has had another sensational season with averages of 26.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 58.1% from the field and 35.8% from the three-point range in 77 games.
The Nuggets are the first seed in the Western Conference with a 56-24 record in 80 games.
They have gone 7-3 over their last ten games and are also in the middle of a three-game winning streak.
Following the Timberwolves, the Nuggets will play their next game on Thursday evening when they visit the San Antonio Spurs in Texas.
As for Pierce, he is one of the best players of all time and helped lead Boston to the 2008 NBA Championship over the Los Angeles Lakers.
In addition to the Celtics, he also spent time with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers over 19 seasons.
He averaged 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per contest in 1,343 regular season games.
Commissioner threatens banishment from NBA for brother of Nuggets star
Since sports gambling has become legalized and widely accepted around the United States, lines have gotten blurred and some shady situations have arisen. One notable story from the NBA came out recently with Raptors two-way player, Jontay Porter.
The league announced in March that they were investigating Porter after suspicious betting activity related to Porter occurred on multiple occasions. Both games took place this season and there were large numbers of bets placed on the unders for Porter’s props.
In both instances, Porter left the game early after appearing for only a few minutes; once due to an alleged eye injury and the other time due to an alleged illness. Porter is the brother of Nuggets forward, Michael Porter Jr.
MPJ was asked about the situation when the story first came out and basically just said he knows nothing more than the general public, but defended his brother’s integrity and love for the game of basketball, stating he highly doubted Jontay would do anything to risk his status in the league.
Penalties for Porter could be massive
Luckily, it doesn’t seem like this has caused any distractions for the Nuggets and for Porter Jr. but commissioner Adam Silver finally commented on the issue recently. He indicated that the accusations against Jontay Porter constitute a “cardinal sin” and that the penalty could include banning him from the game.
This may seem extreme, but that’s what comes along with the territory. The league has become so involved with gambling companies that the last thing they can risk is a major scandal that compromises the integrity of the game in any way.
“”There is nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling and betting on our games and that is a direct player involvement. So the investigation is ongoing but the consequences could be very severe.””
– Adam Silver
It seems like there is still a lot that can happen and much to be investigated and proven, but the severity of the situation is abundantly clear. Who knows what other information or evidence will come out, but it doesn’t seem great for Porter who was already clinging to his fringe NBA career.
As Nuggets fans, we just have to hope that Michael Porter Jr. is truly as uninvolved and oblivious as he claims. If there is even the slightest hint that is involved in any way that would open the door for an investigation, possible punishment, and almost certainly a massive headache for the Nuggets.
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