Bruce Brown Says Nikola Jokic ‘Wasn’t Playing Games’ in Nuggets’ Series vs. Lakers

Former Nuggets forward Bruce Brown said he saw a different side of Nikola Jokić during the Western Conference finals series against the Lakers back in May.

The Nuggets came out and swept the Lakers in four games, resulting in the first playoff series win against Los Angeles in Denver’s franchise history.

Though the stakes of the Nuggets attempting to win their first NBA title probably played a part into the intensity of the series, Brown admits he doesn’t really know why that series was “more personal” than the others. But, he knew for sure that Jokić seemed very into this particular series.

“I think that series for us was more personal than any other series,” Brown said on a Tidal League podcast on Tuesday. “Don’t know why ... I’ve never seen Nikola speak on the court. He wasn’t talking s---, but he was like into the game. He was playing no games. Like he has something to prove, and he’s the best player in the world.”

Bruce Brown says that the Nuggets/Lakers series was personal for them ????

He says he doesn’t know why but even Joker ‘wasn’t playing no games’ with the Lakers ???? pic.twitter.com/l1dEGoTxo6

— Swipa (@SwipaCam) July 18, 2023

Jokić really wasn’t playing any games during the series as he finished with averages of 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds, 11.8 assists and 4.0 steals per game.