Nikola Jokic put up an dominant performance in Game 5 against the Warriors. The reigning league MVP scored 30 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and dished out 8 assists but it wasn’t enough for the Nuggets to get the win.
After eliminating Denver from the playoffs, Golden State’s head coach Steve Kerr was relieved to not have to deal with the Serbian center anymore.
“For a start I just want to say congrats to Denver on hell of a series,” he said after Game 5. “The first thing we told our team before the series started was how experienced and tough Denver is.
“They’ve come back from 3-1 down, they’ve got a team that stuck together now for years. I think they came back from 3-1 down twice the same season… They’ve been together, they’ve been through the battle.
“We knew it was going to be really difficult. Mike [Michael Malone] does a hell of a job, Jokic is ridiculous. Really happy to not have to worry about him anymore. They had a hell of a season with all the injuries and I hope they get healthy.
“Also, I want to mention how happy I am for DeMarcus Cousins. obviously, I wanted to win but that guy put his heart on the line for us several years ago and he’s been through hell – torn Achilles, torn ACL. He’s a great guy, he was a great teammate here. Really fun for me to just see him play so well. I can say that now because we won. Great series.”