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College basketball might take the spotlight in March, but the idea that NBA teams aren’t playing hard in the run up to the playoffs has always been a fallacy. Look no further than the Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz game on Monday night. The Jazz are playing out the string in another lost season, and their main objective at this point is to protect their draft pick. The Nuggets have been hit with the injury bug all year, but they’re still fighting for seeding in the Western Conference. What could have been an afterthought matchup turned into a super hard-fought, dramatic finish that also included a controversial play from the game’s best player.
The Nuggets beat the Jazz, 128-125. The most memorable moment of the game happened in the first quarter, when Utah guard Keyonte George tried to box out Nikola Jokic for a rebound, and ended up having the NBA’s heaviest player resting entirely on his back.
George is listed at 185 pounds. Jokic is listed at 284 pounds, with only Zach Edey and Jusuf Nurkic (who are both out for the season with injury) listed heavier. Watch Jokic and George fight for the rebound here.
This is a dangerous play. Jokic is a joy to watch, but the stress of this season is clearly getting to him. Jokic is sick of teams taking cheap shots against him, and we all saw how he reacted to Lu Dort’s dirty play against the Thunder last week.
To me, this is a clean box out by George. He’s keeping Jokic away from the rebound exactly how you’re taught: get low, stick your butt into the offensive player’s mid-section, and control the leverage game as you wait for the rebound. Jokic falling on his back is not the right way to handle this, and it could have resulted in injury.
George looked just fine on the night, scoring 15 of his team-high 36 points in the fourth quarter. George almost out-dueled Jokic and Jamal Murray (who dropped 45 points in the win), but the Nuggets are just too good. Maybe next year, Utah.
In fairness to Jokic, he gets hit harder than anyone in part because he’s bigger than everyone. The Thunder played extremely physical defense on Jokic in last year’s playoffs led by Alex Caruso defending him in Game 7. Caruso was giving up so much size in that matchup that he essentially fouled Jokic every time down the floor and dared the refs to call it. They’re only going to call it so many times.
The 2026 playoffs are going to be so good, but let’s make sure it’s a safe, fair game for everyone.