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'He knew the play better than us': Nikola Jokic identifies Wolves call in fourth quarter

Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert were in disbelief about how Jokic knew Minnesota's play call.
Nolan O'Hara|
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) tries to draw a foul on Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels in the fourth quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Nov. 1, 2024.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) tries to draw a foul on Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels in the fourth quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Nov. 1, 2024. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

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Minnesota TimberwolvesDenver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic is not only the best basketball player on the planet, it turns out he might also be clairvoyant.

After the Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 119-116 Friday night at Target Center in Minneapolis, Anthony Edwards interrupted Rudy Gobert's postgame media session blown away that Jokic knew one of their plays in the fourth quarter.

Out of a timeout late in the fourth quarter, the Wolves called a play, one Edwards said they "hadn't ran in a minute." They didn't call it on the court, but Jokic was able to identify it, shouting out to his teammates who was going where and who was setting screens. Whether it be from formation, instinct or mental telepathy, Jokic knew exactly what was up.

"Jokic knew the play, but we didn't say anything," Gobert said. "He knew the play better than us."

Edwards and Gobert said the play came with about three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but the last timeout the Wolves called came with 6 minutes, 14 seconds remaining, and the Nuggets forced a turnover on that possession.

So perhaps Jokic is clairvoyant. But all jokes aside, there are more reasonable explanations for how Jokic could have determined the play. The three-time MVP is one of the smartest players in basketball, and the Wolves and Nuggets have played each other a lot in recent years. Jokic could have remembered the play from a previous matchup.

The Wolves also have ties to the Nuggets. In fact, Jokic was drafted by Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly when Connelly held the same role in Denver. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch and lead assistant Micah Nori were also both assistants with the Nuggets at the beginning of Jokic's career, so it's possible the play dates back to then.

Or, as Gobert joked, Jokic could have a "spy" on the Timberwolves bench.

"We got to launch an investigation," Gobert quipped.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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