Nikola Jokic Takes Hilarious Jab at Luka Doncic

In this story:
Good friends off the court, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic always have good battles on the court. With Jokic and the Nuggets defeating Doncic and the Mavericks in Friday night's in-season tournament game, Jokic was asked what he enjoys most about Doncic's game, and took a hilarious jab at his friend, saying, "That I can beat him and make fun of him."
I asked Jokic what he enjoys about Luka’s game.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) November 4, 2023
“That I can beat him and make fun of him.”
(They’re good friends.)
Jokic and Doncic have actually split their 14 career games against one another, with each winning seven of them. Jokic has taken the last two, but Doncic had won three-straight prior to that. In his 14 games vs. Doncic, Jokic has averaged 23.1 PPG, 12.3 RPG and 7.1 APG, while Doncic had averaged 25.8 PPG, 10.4 APG and 7.6 RPG.
The numbers between these two players are very similar, and the records are of course identical. This is one of the best matchups in basketball right now, as Jokic and Doncic both play a similar game despite being at completely different positions. Both the primary playmakers for their respective teams, Doncic and Jokic can also be unstoppable scorers.
The Mavericks entered this game vs. Denver as the only undefeated team in the Western Conference, but fell to the defending champions for their first loss of the season. Looking to bounce back from a disappointing season a year ago, the Mavericks look solid so far.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.