FIRST TAKE | “No one can take the MVP title from Jokic” – Stephen A. on Nuggets beat Raptors 125-119

FIRST TAKE | “No one can take the MVP title from Jokic” – Stephen A. on Nuggets beat Raptors 125-119

Sleeps on the nuggets and they’re going to wake up in June and they’re going to be having another parade they’re 8-1 since the allstar break taking on the wraps this evening raptors have dropped five of six nuggets dug themselves significant early hole Jamal Murray hits

The three from Nia yic they Trail by 17 which is the largest deficit at the half at home this season they sign up for 48 Steve got to sign up for 48 nuggets within 14 joic he had 19 in the third just like Kevin Durant did in the Highlight we showed

You earlier and they went over Cleveland Reggie Jackson from three they Trail by five heading into the fourth you got 12 minutes to sort this out here they come Murray in the lane look like he wanted to try to Dish instead threw it up and it drops nuggets Take the Lead jic

Give me that the block let’s run Murray Aaron Gordon great find good finish and the Nuggets now up five they’re going to finish this one off with a Michael Porter Jr look from the corner buckets and the Nuggets had the largest comeback win of the Season they’re 40 report

Okay well the uh the puck Factor was pretty intense in the third quarter I mean the Nuggets were down big at the end of the first half but with 720 left in the third quarter they were down 21 and nothing was happening you’re like what what is going on they may lose and

Then all of a sudden you saw the spark nicool on the defensive end Jamal on the offensive end yes I said nicoa defense his defense was superb tonight unbelievable yeah if you’re going to win this game you had to get Toronto around the 20 point mark in a quarter quart

They kept giving up 30 plus and you can’t grab leads or get back in game and finally the fourth quarter they did that they went on damn they went on an 80 run to go from three down to five up and they never relinquished after that yeah and then offensively Jamal Murray was

Just simply brilliant I mean the the shot making in the second half from all over the court was there and then his ability to make plays to really draw a lot of Defenders to him and then kick the ball out to a wide open player and

Those nuggets made shots so on both ends of the courts things got much better really fast you know it’s not often you get a player with 12 assists in a game the Nuggets had two of them tonight both Jamal and Nia joic 12 dimes a piece they

Needed every last one final you got the locker room report Vic Hans and Demps and fellas I I I want to start with Coach Malone’s comments before the game when he said I just hope our team after what happened in the second half against Utah our hope I hope our team takes this

Team seriously I’m not sure they got the memo in the first half tonight you know maybe you should have said hey guys let’s go into this game and let’s not take them seriously maybe that would have worked well I mean it did and I guess in reverse a little bit that they didn’t

Take it seriously at the beginning of this game but they sure did in that second half especially defensively and when we say they you know did well defensively what that looked like in the second half was just everything a lot more heightened starts in transition um getting back in transition physical on

The off ball and on ball screens physical at The Rim they just were so much more disruptive to this Toronto basketball team which in the first half was doing whatever they wanted and getting wherever they wanted in court in the first half that was not happening in

The second all right well let’s show you what Nicole yic did tonight because his stat line is like ridiculous interplanetary it’s not of this world look at the numbers 35 points 17 rebounds 12 assists out listed there six steals two blocks fresh haircut am I missing anything yeah what a block couple

Blocks I had the two blocks I mean I didn’t miss anything look you know what’s unbelievable about his game and and this is what the Nuggets kind of do the Nuggets going to get back to we all talk we get the Nuggets got to get it around 12 going into that fourth and

They’re in trouble well they got it under that why because of Nia he had 19 points four rebounds four assists four steals in the third quarter he dominated that third quarter that got him within range and then Jamal went off in that fourth all right let’s take a look at

Our breaks plus stop of the game and they had a lot of stops when they needed them most late third early fourth I tell you nicoa got his hands on everything that happened early in the game when KC he got a hold to one Reggie Jackson got a hold to one there’s uh

Nola stealing for Bruce Brown those jazz hands he had six steals again a season High all the detractors dam Su say NOA doesn’t play defense are they watching these games yeah they’re definitely not watching this one because he played all the defense uh tonight and a lot of that

You know a lot of those steals were just on the pocket pass I mean he was playing near the level of the ball screen on that pick and roll action and he just got his hands down there and deflected the pass as they tried to like slip it

Through and so um he’s just so very smart you know I mean it is it’s one part um obviously making the play it’s another part putting yourself in positions the great positions to be able to make the play and that’s what nicoa does you know what I marveled about him

You always think of what there’s something else with Joker’s game you know he gets out in the Fast Break he leads it he dribbles up tonight he was the finisher on the fast break I think he had six or eight points where he ran the court which is just incredible yeah

By the way uh Scott Bay our director his mother sent a message saying the first half blame it on daylight savings hello Mrs B I I totally agree with you blame on I think the Nuggets forgot to set their clocks right or adjust their clocks Jamal Murray first half versus

Second half unbelievable the turnaround you only had five points in the first half barely shot the ball in the second half he came to life and change the game yeah and and 20 21 is just unbelievable but even more so that fourth quarter he had 12 points in on MVP at ESPN bet

Stepen a if he wins this would be his third in the last four seasons Shay GIS Alexander is second and would be the first Thunder player to win it since Russell Westbrook did back in 2017 Luca Giannis and Jason Tatum rounding out the top five all right sa you’re up here

First who’s going to challenge yic for MVP well first of all I want I want to say that I have Jason Tatum ahead of everybody for League MVP averaging 20 s the game being the best player on the best team in the league that’s how I

Feel about Jason Tatum but when I was asked this question originally they was talking about in the west and my answer has been Shay gilis Alexander have you seen this brother have you seen this I mean ma Molly uh Shannon you got to watch this brother dance on people right

Now the brother 661 180 I mean dances on you with his hand you got a j can shoot from anywhere Hits free throws pull up jumpers threes open Cordy dancing on you he’s special he’s absolutely special and last I checked they have a better record than the Denver Nuggets right now and

When I look at him being tied for the number one seed in the western conference let’s say hypothetically that the Oklahoma City Thunder finishes with the top seed in the west this man they played I mean I mean listen they played 50 some OD games the brother has had

Over 30 on 42 occasions he is something speci and I’m looking at him right now and yeah they got other Talent on the squad the Williams of the world and and d and GID and others and I get Chad H let’s not forget him he’s a candidate for

Rookie of the Year it ain’t it ain’t a four gun conclusion it could be but Chad hrim is balling now he is balling and they’re winning so we can’t ignore that but Shay gilis Alexander is the name that comes to my mind Shannon the brother special

He is I agree with you he he would he’s right behind joic I mean if he if joic is 1 a he has to be 1B averaging 31 5 and 1/2 rebound 6 and 1/2 assist league but here’s the thing y he’s shooting 55% as a guard yes yes he can get can

Finish with either hand can pull up from the mid-range his three ball is increased great at the free throw line he does it all on this very very young team and I believe it’s Nicole yic Shay Gil just I would have I would have JT in front of Giannis I understand jannis is

Having another out standing season 31 Points 11 and a half rebounds Luc is doing Luca things but they’re not winning nearly enough for him to get serious serious consideration I would go joic I would go Shay gilis I would put JT in third to me I got JT at number one

Shay gilis at number two and joic at number three yic again they creeping up well listen listen they they’re creeping up top three listen you can say what you want to say I gave you just gave the say say Gil Alexander numbers I gave you Jason Tatum numbers I mean listen the

Best player on the best team you’re the number one option everybody’s watching you all every everybody’s coming at you every single night you’re the number one team by six games come on now I can’t I can’t ignore that from Jason Tatum I can’t ignore that what I supposed to do

About 3216 to 16 I feel you on that that’s that is spectacular there’s no doubt about that but but 27 a night for a team that’s six games better than you you just brought up Boston’s record they’re the number one overall seed Jason Tatum can’t be ignored but when I

Look at Shay gilis Alexander let me just throw some numbers about you about averaging an NBA High 24 drives per game scoring a league high 17.2 points per game on 57% shooting on drives one of only four players averaging 35 and five along with Luca Giannis and embiid 15.3

Points in the paint for a point guard all right which is fifth in the NBA and they shooting 40% on pullup threes this is Shay Gil just Alexander and they’re tied for the number one seed in the west yeah I can’t ignore that I can’t I’m

Sorry I I just think the thing is when people just look at Nicole y yol’s numbers yes and you see the uh uh the 26 and A2 and you see the 12 rebounds and you see the nine of he’s great he’s great it’s like he’s great and you you

See that team I don’t know where they would be they’d be in the lottery if he wasn’t on that team I listen if Jamal Murray was was healthy and the rest of them were healthy I wouldn’t say the lottery no I’d give them without Y without yoke I’d still have them in a

Plane I’d still have them in I still have in the you just said that 18 and a half points better when he on the cour I feel you on that because he’s really off the court you he he don’t miss too many games no he don’t miss no G he don’t

Miss games but it’s not like so so two or three games he out that’s what we going to go by come on now I’m not going to do that I’m saying when he’s on the court so when he’s on the court as far as plus minus got you I got you okay

Twoone take off you know when I start to the Clear My Throat okay guys okay like that’s that’s like the wrap it up signal we think you’re clearing your throat because we think you’re eating and you just ate something and then now like when I do the mm that kind of

Thing like those are all symbols like time to go party people all right is the only person that I know that went to a game and took pictures of herself Spe Okay baby rting Boy for feel Spe speech spe speech for Speech For Spee Spee foreign spech foreign speech for speech man So man fore fore foree foree okay okay

FIRST TAKE | “No one can take the MVP title from Nikola Jokic” – Stephen A. on Nuggets beat Raptors 125-119