Nikola Jokic's plan to beat Minnesota: 'A duplicate clone of myself' / News - Basketnews.com

Jokic complimented Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, and said that a clone of himself is the best way to fight with the trio of Gobert, Towns, and Reid.

Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski - Scanpix Credit AP Photo/David Zalubowski - Scanpix

The Denver Nuggets lost the first game of the Second-Round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. After the game, Nikola Jokic joked about the recipe forsuccess.

Player of the Game EFF 42 Anthony Edwards Points 43 Accuracy 17-29 Rebounds 7 Assists 3

Anthony Edwards scored 43 points on efficient 17-for-29 shooting alongside 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, leading the Timberwolves to an away victory against the reigning NBA champions.

"He's a special player, I have huge respect for him. He can do everything on the floor," Jokic said about Edwards. "You need to enjoy and respect your opponent just how good and talented he is. It was him in the first half, he scored like 20-something in the first half. Then it was KAT, Mike Conley had some big points. Naz Reid had an amazing fourth quarter, and, of course, Ant had a big fourth quarter, too. They are a very talented team, that's why they were the no. 1 seed for most of the year."

Minnesota used an 8-man rotation during the game, with three of the players being centers - Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid. Together they combined for 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

"It's not just him. They have a couple of guys that rotate," Jokic said about Gobert. "They're long, they're physical, they're making you make or take tough shots. And not just that. They know what they're doing in pick-and-roll, they put a lot of good defenders on Jamal [Murray] and Reggie [Jackson] in pick-and-roll. They're a really good team."

Losing Game 1 automatically means you lose the home-court advantage you earned throughout the regular season. Asked whether this loss motivated the team to push even more to win the series, the Serbian big man was honest.

"It doesn't motivate me," he said. "We have to be better. The loss doesn't motivate me."

Winning against the Timberwolves will require Jokic to deal with the big-man trio throughout the entire series. Jokic's recipe to success - a clone of himself.

"To have a duplicate clone of myself, and then I can be fresh. When they sub another guy, I'm gonna be fresh," Jokic laughed.

"I don't know, really. That's why they're good - they can play big, they can play small, they can put a lot of guys, and they're long, physical, rebound very well, they're aggressive," he said. "I'm satisfied with the shots that I took. Some of them I missed, some of them I made. It's a tough game, and they are a really good defensive team."

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