Kevin Durant in Awe of Nikola Jokic’s 53 Point Masterclass in Game 4

Kevin Durant in Awe of Nikola Jokic’s 53 Point Masterclass in Game 4

Edwin Kiplagat
updated at May 8, 2023 at 3:51 PM
  • Kevin Durant has high praised for Nikola Jokic after the Denver Nuggets star scored 53 points against the Phoenix Suns
  • However, the two-time MVP ended up on the losing side of Game 4 as they lost 129-124 for the hosts to even the series
  • Durant and Devin Booker each scored 36 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to victory during their semi-final playoff clash

Denver Nuggets superstar, Nikola Jokic scored 53 points against the Phoenix Suns but suffered defeat in Game 4.

Suns star, Kevin Durant and his teammate, Devin Booker scored 36 points each to survive Jokic's career-high, tying the series at 2-2. Durant was impressed by Jokic's superb performance.

Nikola Jokic, Mat Ishbia, NBA, Nuggets, Suns, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Michael Malone
Nikola Jokic is having a phenomenal postseason. Photos by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE.
Source: Getty Images

Phoenix could not stop Jokic who went 20-of-30 shooting, dishing out 11 assists, and grabbing four rebounds. Despite this, his team narrowly lost 129-124.

The two-time MVP scored 18 in the third quarter, and almost singlehandedly carried the Nuggets to victory. Jokic is now the 11th player to score at least 50 points in the playoffs and lose the game.

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Against Phoenix, the Serbian had the fourth-highest scoring effort in a playoff loss in league history, joining Damian Lillard, Donovan Lillard, and Michael Jordan, per CBS Sports.

He is now averaging 30.8 points per game in nine NBA playoff games.

Durant praises Jokic's 53-pointer

Durant, who is having a great postseason, showered the Serbian with praise, calling him 'ridiculous'.

"I felt like all those shots were easy shots. He plays the game at the pace - you can't speed him up, fluster him; he's strong, he can make every shot. I hate when he makes shots. He's so unorthodox... He's incredible."

Durant and Booker have now scored a combined 158 points in the last two games on their home floor, per Denver Post.

Despite his excellent performance, Jokic received a technical foul for shoving Suns owner, Mat Ishbia in the second quarter.

Jokic addresses the Ishbia altercation

Sports Brief previously reported on Jokic addressing his altercation with Ishbia, owner of the Suns, in the second quarter.

Phoenix's Josh Okogie flew toward the courtside seats trying to save the ball, which ended up in the team owner's hands.

Jokic rushed to grab the ball to start their offensive possession while Okogie was down, shoving Ishbia in the process.

Authors
Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.