Nikola Jokic Unleashes Inner Shaquille O’Neal vs Pelicans

As the Denver Nuggets faced the New Orleans Pelicans, Jokic was again on the court entertaining with his play. Nuggets were ahead of the Pelicans in the fourth quarter, with 125-113 at the time this piece was written and Nikola Jokic did not cease to stay out of attention. He was the top scorer in the game for the Nuggets smashing a triple-double with 27 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds at the time. But his other wonders on the hardwood, too, did not cease to entertain.

The Nuggets entered the game after the Utah Jazz snapped their seven-game winning streak. It was humiliating for the Nuggets who occupy the third spot in the Western Conference against a team much lower on the table. Nuggets did it in style, while Jokic aroused the memories of Shaquille O’Neal.

Nikola Jokic’s Shaq-style dunk

Jokic went on to score a dunk against Jonas Valaciunas, a stark resemblance to the epic dunk by Shaq on Chris Dudley. He rushed to dunk and pushed Jones with the shoulder, who was about to fall on the ground as Jokic scored and hung on the rim.

And after the game, the words of Jokic revealed the mindset whose glimpse was visible on the hardwood. Jokic said, “We played a little bit faster, I think. We were the ones who were aggressive. We pushed the pace. I think that was the difference.”Fuelled by the humiliation of the defeat against Jazz, the Nuggets maintained an early quarter lead. Micheal Porter Jr. added 20 points and 10 rebounds and Jamal Murray chipped in 20 points. For Pelicans Zion Williamson tallied 30 points and Jonas Valaciunas piled 17 points.

The coach of the Pelicans Willie Green summarized the game results in these words, “They got off to an early start in this building. They had a 37-point first quarter to 25 (for New Orleans); now it’s an uphill battle the rest of the game. That’s something they do well. They got off to early starts and then they played with a lead. We’ve got to be better starting a game.” While the aggression of Nuggets and Jokic’s dunk was a treat to watch, Shaq’s stunt too had created a similar drama.

When Shaquille O’Neal  took on Dudley

In 1999 Shaq created a similar scene with Chris Dudley. The Lakers hosted the Knicks and Shaq decided to have a power show in the game. He got a pass from the legend Kobe Bryant and decided to put Dudley on the poster. Shaq got the ball, spun, and jumped in the air to dunk.

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While landing on the hardwood, he seemed to make contact deliberately with Dudley before pushing him down on the ground. Shaq walked away in composure while Dudley stood up and fumed in anger. He threw the ball away while pelting words at Shaq. The teammates from the two camps came close to pacifying the situation. Shaq was fined $3500 for the act.

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