David Adelman calls out Game 6 refs. But what can Nikola Jokic do to help himself in Game 7?

INGLEWOOD Calif David Adelman needed to make a point before Competition But he also knows Nikola Jokic might need to help himself more than he did in Match if that point doesn t get across Nikola gets fouled a lot Denver s interim coach explained after a - loss to the Clippers on Thursday I m not sure what was happening tonight but for him to shoot two free throws with the amount of contact that was going on out there was absolutely crazy The Nuggets are hosting a winner-take-all tournament Saturday in part because Jokic s second half of Encounter a -for- shooting performance in Los Angeles that was stamped by Ivica Zubac s fortitude against drives and post-ups Missed calls in a congested lane also helped in Adelman s opinion The Clippers put smalls on him Those smalls were allowed to do whatever they want he explained So I m really excited for Saturday that we re gonna be able to do the same thing with their best players Because if that s the physicality we re allowed to play with we ll react to it and we will go there in Match But in Competition Jokic s inability to react might have cost him He passed up a handful of -pointers often shot-faking and attacking close-outs instead Zubac was spectacular at remaining glued to him and the other Clippers weren t afraid to collapse into the paint against the drive Jokic kept stampeding into traffic even after it was clear that he wasn t getting a whistle Zubac finished with three blocks He was making me kind of question my shots Jokic reported He was dependably there He was really good defensively He was moving his feet really good On one possession early in the third quarter Jokic pump-faked Zubac at the top of the key and dribbled downhill to his left Not only did Zubac stay in front Kawhi Leonard helped off of Christian Braun on the perimeter and with Aaron Gordon in the dunker spot James Harden was already positioned in the paint When Jokic tried to spin to his right he was ambushed by a triple-team With seconds left and Denver down by only five Jokic opted not to unleash a -pointer from the left wing If he had taken it decisively and made it of discipline the Nuggets might ve even had enough time to defend out the next possession without fouling They had a timeout ready if they could get a stop Instead Jokic drove and was thwarted at the rim by Zubac one last time The Clippers chased down a loose rebound and Event was effectively over It s a good conversation I think he felt driving the close-outs with Zubac if he gets by him he s creating offense for other people Adelman revealed when solicited if he thinks Jokic should ve shot more s Aaron s playing behind the defense It creates corner s Things like that But ostensibly want to have a better mix on Saturday Let that thing fly a little bit especially when Zubac is down the floor You know Nikola Everything he does is trying to be the greater part unselfish athlete he can be Saturday maybe we need a little more selfishness from the -point line Jokic scored points in the first half and five in the second His -for- night from deep was consistent with his usual efficiency Excluding his league-leading long-distance heaves this season he shot from -point range Related Articles Nuggets-Clippers Tournament -Pointers Turnovers too much James Harden doom Denver James Harden Kawhi Leonard shine as Clippers push Nuggets to Contest As Serbia s two best players clash in NBA playoffs Bogdan Bogdanovic recalls first time facing Nikola Jokic In search for playoff fuel Jamal Murray motivated by Kris Dunn being drafted higher in Renck Jamal Murray blitzed Clippers but Russell Westbrook catalyst behind Nuggets rout But in Encounter of a series in which he s been questioned for his occasional unwillingness to be a scorer his defining fault ironically might ve been his over-aggressive decision-making Whether correctly or erroneously the refs didn t reward him for that approach We ve seen it on his arms all year teammate Peyton Watson reported He plays inside and he plays a really physical meeting So what comes with that is a lot of bumps and bruises We know he s in there getting hit Obviously it s hard to see when there s five bodies surrounding him at all times Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis