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Nikola Jokić’s Latest Assist Highlight an Unbelievably Deft Spinning Left-Handed Pass

Stephen Douglas|
Nikola Jokic directs traffic during the latest Nuggets win.
Nikola Jokic directs traffic during the latest Nuggets win. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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Memphis GrizzliesDenver Nuggets

The Nuggets beat the Grizzlies 125-115 on Monday night in Memphis. Denver took the lead in the first quarter, but never really pulled away enough so that Nikola Jokić could take the fourth quarter off.

And what a treat that ended up being, as Jokić threw one of the most ridiculously creative passes you'll see this season, if not ever.

With just over a minute to go, Jokić drove to his left towards the lane. As Cam Spencer came up to double Jokić, he spun away and threw a perfect left-handed behind-the-back bounce pass to a cutting Peyton Watson.

Seeing it live it almost looked like he lost it and if any other player did that, you might think it was an accident. But this is Nikola Jokić. This is the guy who threw this pass over the weekend.

It’s ridiculous. The touch. The control. The ability of him to also make contested three-pointers from half-court with about as much effort as most players shoot free throws.

Jokić finished with 17 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds and two steals. He only shot the ball nine times. The Nuggets improved to 13-4 on the season. What more do you need?

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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