FIRST TAKE | “Nuggets are too strong” – Stephen A. reacts to Nikola Jokic beat Wemby & Spurs 117-106

FIRST TAKE | “Nuggets are too strong” – Stephen A. reacts to Nikola Jokic beat Wemby & Spurs 117-106

We got Battle of The Bigs here in San Antonio no wait it’s a home game for the Spurs but it’s in Austin Texas wait what on 316 come on that’s weird uh here we go Nica yic the dad bod God working on wemi wy’s like I’ll take that one of

Three blocks for the rookie he’s the first rookie with 200 blocks in this season since Tim Duncan same uniform 9798 what about yic all right I’ve learned once I’m going to create a little space with my dad’s strength as he just muscles wmi had him in foul

Trouble too wanyama deal with five fouls later in this game he finished with the five joic posting up Zack Collins you can get this work too nuggets are up by 17 Greg papic said I don’t think anybody can do what Nicola does he’s amazing fantastic jic on wemi one more time 19

Points four rebounds in the first half once he figured out the length of Air France and then yic getting the pass from Aaron Gordon jic working on a 31.9 he was 13 of 19 from the floor for big honey 117 106 31 points better than last year what

Did you think about the way they showed up against this SP I love the start of this game and I love the end because you know what happened in the end defense no that wasn’t no joker did not have to play the fourth quarter that means

You’re were going to win so Joker only had to play 31 minutes it’s good to get him some rest yeah it was just good to get the Nuggets back refocused in that again in that third quarter I mean the only masterpiece piece quarter was the

First quarter here but you had to uh the San Antonio Spurs made you put them away and and the Nuggets were just able to do that got contributions up and down uh the team so just a great team effort yeah the Denver Nuggets are number one in the Western Conference once again

Let’s go back out to Austin right now and here from Vic Lombardi standing by with Christian Brown I just saw you exchange jerseys there you didn’t give Devonte Graham yours you got his no I’m going to give him mine I got to take it back and sign it for his sister so it’s

Really cool to get this I’ve been friends with him for a long time all right you told me before the game when you played at Kansas and you came to Austin you never won so you can take that off the Record now tonight yeah thank goodness we got a win today um I

Haven’t been here and got a win before so this one feels good um and just to stay rolling feels good too it’s always a good thing for nuggets fans when you win a game and the starters especially Joker doesn’t have to play the fourth quarter that tells you how good the

Reserves were why were you so good tonight I mean we’ve been on a roll you know our second’s been doing a really good job um for the most part playing really well um since break and that’s what we got to do um you know we got to

Make it easy in games like this you know we don’t want to keep it that close um we want to give yoke and and and Jamal a chance to rest I think we would to give Jamal the ball um a little more in the first half we would have had more of a

Chance to rest Christian congratulations you guys are back in first place how badly do you want to keep that top seat well that’s always the goal it’s been the goal since training camp um just come out here and get in first place and we know how much that means uh in the

Playoffs um and how much it led to Our Success last year so um holding on to first place is a big deal for us um we just got to keep going continue what we do and build habits last question when you guys give away jerseys do you have to pay for them

I have no idea to be honest I have no idea I hope not you’re going to find out soon enough yeah Bill hands Lake Chris Dempsey let me just say this ain’t Texas W nuggets did hold them they did they sure did they did and the Denver Nuggets

Get their 20th Road win of the season that’s one more than they had all of last season and that was a point of emphasis coming into the season was we want to be a better Road team how did they show up tonight well I I thought spectacular you know coming out of the

Gates offense all cylinders defense shutting them down they built a 19point lead at the end of the first quarter and de they you know San Antonio Reed him in a few times there but the Nuggets kept pushing it back up yeah that was all really all that that was required in

This basketball game you got off to such a good start um both offensively and defensively uh they put it on cruise control a little bit in that second quarter uh but they they kind of evened it back out in that second half and um you know the San Antonio Spurs they they

Are on a total different life cycle and they’re just trying to lay a foundation for what they’re going to be in the future I think one of those things actually will be a good offensive team uh but right now they’re just not ready for a team like the nuggets in they’re

Not a good defensive team period no they’re bad they can score a little bit but no D well Nicole yic took full advantage he had 31 points tonight the last 12 games that he’s played against the Spurs he’s averaging 30 points a game how did he dominate well he he just

Did his thing most of them are around the paint mocked in 1 three but uh maybe my favorite shot of the night he had a kind of of a floater Bank one-handed bank shot when wiana just went after it you can jump high but you can’t jump

That high that little push shot there was good Joker you know he only had to play 31 minutes with that 31 points Katie just just another outstanding Joker night yeah and just not you see this right there Victor Wiman Yama for as tall as he is um is just too light to

Be able to handle on ni kokage who’s going to pound on you before uh he he takes that shot and I mean they tried a number of different things San Anton did defensively against ni yic um having wiama off ball and bringing trying to bring him over as a help Defender

Sometimes as the primary Defender just all the things but um what papovich knows is he can’t stop him and and he’s he’s a huge yic fan I mean this is that exchange between the two of them happens every single time these two teams play because of the mutual respect

They have for each other yeah I mean pop just that you good point pop is such a purist when it comes to basketball he likes it played the right way with the p pass ing the good shot selection and Joker gives you all that I mean let’s be

Honest how can you not be a fan of Nicole yic you’re crazy you should be a fan crazy if you’re not a fan of Nicole yic let’s talk about the Denver Nuggets bench they are our ball future is in your hand feature in this postgame show Reggie Jackson Christian Brown pton

Watson Justin holiday they stepped up big time 47 bench points and demp you mentioned this it wasn’t like it was garbage time for these guys like they were very productive when the Nuggets needed them to be yeah this was a really real performance by all of those guys

And you needed we talked to Gim credy I the lead was nine with about nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter so were were they going to have to roll AG M uh Michael Porter and Joker back in or not and the bench just rose up give them

Rest yeah I won’t lie to you guys Chris memy was rooting for the San Antonio Spurs when we came in here to get ready for the postgame show just because of our fanatic Sports boat picks I Gard but when you look at the Denver Nuggets they are powerful they’re powerful in their

Play when you talk about joic being the best player in the league when you look at Jamal Murray being the best number two in the league and why I say that is because in the big moments when it matters the most when they get to the postseason Jamal Murray elevates his

Game like no other that twom man game is something special that connection between joic and Aaron Gordon is something special we’ve been crowning all season long in disrespecting the the Denver Nuggets by saying Boston Celtics have the best starting five in basketball well we were wrong the best

Starting five in basketball is actually the best starting five that actually won the NBA championship last year in the Dela nuggets when you look at they they fit so well together they communicate well and right now they’re one of the best defensive teams as well top 10 team

Def defensively in the league they’re well coached by Michael Malone and when I talk about that popular and Powerful movement Molly when you’re powerful you actually knock people off their square and right now the devil nuggets are knocking me off my Square because I had the Los Angeles Clippers representing

The Western Conference but now they got me changing my mind because of the play of yic and Murray that two man game is just something special you want a final word Harry you no no I I love the div nuggets they’re my favorite to repeat whenever you have

A situation where teams are able to come back but you have that that killer you had that wild card which is Nico yic yeah yeah I don’t see it happening it I have to see it happening in order for me to be able to believe it yeah Co

Everything har big perk is saying Molly Molly you getting soft today on Friday because you did not check Harry for stradling the fence he Str hold up hold up I got to say something perk I was actually going to get on you but you’re my guy so I let it slide I

Asked you a direct question about Kevin Durant and I felt like you did a little slip and slide you didn’t give me the you didn’t give me answer oh you did a pivot you did a pivot and you moved right into you did IOP I did a you did

It and you know what and you just smoothly went out and I was like you know what I’m going to I’m going to I’m gonna let that one sleep oh my good what perk a hit dog a holla every time every time than b you have a fabulous weekend

Uh I will stack another dub in the wind column after beating the Suns with their big three in the lineup Jaylen Brown went off 37 Tatum Al Horford added 26 and 24 respectively the Celtics became the first team to CLP the playoff for the season they’re the favorites to win

The NBA Finals that’s per ESPN bet and the defending Champion nuggets closely follow them over the last 25 years only four teams to be the first to clinch a playoff spot went on to win the NBA title with the last being that 2016 2017 Warriors team big perk back here with us

Uh perk thanks for coming back which team is the biggest title threat after Boston in Denver it’s the Clippers it’s the Clippers and is and they’re right there knocking at the door and it’s solely because look when I look at their roster they have zero flaws when you look at

Their depth right they have great depth at the big position in zubac Daniel TI and uh plumbley and then when you look at The Supporting Cast Norman PW coming off the bench a candidate for six man of the year you know what Paul George is going to bring to the table being the

Number two to kawh Leonard James Harden embracing that point guard road that facilitating Road on that team but it’s two guys that I trust with with the All of Me and the one is tou walking up and down that sideline we know what he’s capable of doing as a head coach but the

Other one is kawh Linda Jordan and I’ve seen it right we’ve seen it in the past when you he when he when he matches up with the best of them whether it’s LeBron James and D Wade and Chris Bosch he’s came out Victorious whether he he

Did son Yannis an tupo tucked them in night night you know when he was in the uh Eastern Conference and broke up that home and so when I think about Kawai and I think about what he’s capable of doing on both ends of the floor Molly he could

Be the best player in any Series against any player at any given moment when healthy big perk I completely agree with you with kawi Leonard but I disagree with your take on the Clippers CU you just said you know what you going to get from Paul George did you see Paul George

In the playoffs last year against the Suns did you see him did you see him cuz I didn’t see him I didn’t see him he was hurt I that’s my point but that’s my point he was hurt that’s the biggest issue when it comes to the Clippers I

Don’t know that they top two players go to stay healthy I ain’t got no questions about their depth I ain’t got no questions about tyo I do got questions about who’s going to be able to stay in the lineup for two months in order to make a run and get through the Western

Conference to the NBA finals the team that I’m rolling with as the biggest Challenger to the nuggets out of the Western Conference and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m going with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Reon reason why I’m going with the Minnesota Timberwolves is because they just young

Enough to not know that they ain’t supposed to be there they’re young enough to know and sometimes ignorance can be a good thing when it comes to sports the other thing that I like to point out with the Timberwolves is that defense matters especially in the postseason they got the adage defense

Wins championships well this is the highest rated defensive team in all of basketball now they already stacked one win against the Denver Nuggets but that was in the first half of the Season they’re going to play them three times over the next three weeks so we’ll get a

Better idea a better gauge for where they’re at but they got a star in Anthony Edwards and for people that ain’t paying attention to the NBA this dude is coming superar hold up one second but cat not healthy and Rudy goar is not healthy yeah cat’s not healthy

We’ll see what ends up happening Rudy goar we know he’s coming back relatively soon but goar is a guy that is in the conversation I think he’s the front runner to win Defensive Player of the Year again and it all starts and ends with him on that end of the court so

When you start to look at the elements that the Timberwolves have when you look at the overall depth this is a team that goes eight deep in their rotation this is a team that’s got six guys that average in double figures I believe that

They have what it takes to go on a deep playoff run and On Any Given game that guy Anthony Edwards can be the best two-way player on the floor what gives me confidence about what they can do once they get into a deep playoff series to be fair the Clippers aren’t actually

Healthy either har so per I’ll start with the Clippers I think the health thing really scares me when it comes to them and also something I noticed about their basketball team when they’re playing a very athletic guard that can get to the rim and score the basketball at will

Shay gilis Alexander um the young man that we have in Sacramento right now de Fox they struggle big time they struggle big time with people like that now when it comes to Minnesota I think the thing that makes me nervous about Minnesota is being able to have enough scoring

Especially when you have Carl Anthony towns out right now and I don’t know what his condition is going to be like when he comes back because it is a miniscus right he’s having surgery on his knee you’re not going to be able to do everything that you want to do before

You’re properly able to come back but who I think that can contend after we talk about the Boston Celtics of the divid Nuggets I’m not looking at anybody those are the two teams that I expect to be in the NBA Finals those are two teams I expect to

Be in the NBA Finals cuz what I love about joic when it comes to half court basketball they don’t have to live behind the three-point line they run everything through nicoa yic in that recent game that they just had versus the Boston Celtics every time the Boston

Celtics tried to come back and they made a run they go down the court Hello For Foreign speee fore like Go Speeech spee spe Spee come on come on Hold To Foreign foreign Fore foree Spee H hello foree foree foreign foreign spee speee Speee foree speee spee spee fore foree speech speee Foree Foree Foree speee for spe foree Foree spe for

FIRST TAKE | “Nuggets are too strong” – Stephen A. reacts to Nikola Jokic beat Wemby & Spurs 117-106