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The scoreboard displayed a tie at 99-99, granting the Denver Nuggets the final possession. Nikola Jokic attempted to take the initiative, but the LA Clippers applied pressure, forcing him into a difficult shot that failed to connect. Fortunately, Aaron Gordon was perfectly positioned, leaping to snatch the ball mid-air and slamming it home as the buzzer sounded, securing the victory.
Following this exciting win, which leveled the NBA playoff series at 2-2 for the Colorado team, Jokic drew a parallel between the decisive moment and a notable incident from EuroLeague history.
“I’m not sure how well-versed you are in EuroLeague, but Teodosic experienced a similar miss back when Josh Childress scored in a semifinal against Partizan,” Jokic remarked. “I can assist you in writing about that.”
He was reminiscing about the 2010 EuroLeague Final Four semifinal clash between Olympiacos and Partizan, where a last-second rebound play mirrored his own, pushing the semifinal into overtime and ultimately aiding Olympiacos in their victory. In that scenario, Milos Teodosic occupied the spot where Jokic was, while Aaron Gordon mirrored Josh Childress’ actions.
The sequence between Jokic and Gordon closely resembles the Teodosic to Childress play from the epic 2010 Final Four battle between Olympiacos and Partizan!
Deja vu pic.twitter.com/qoxuwSZwV6
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) April 27, 2025
Reflecting on the final moments, Jokic clarified that his intention was to shoot, not to set up an alley-oop for Gordon.
“No, it wasn’t a pass. I aimed to take the last shot. I wanted to deny the Clippers even a second. I completely missed the rim, and thankfully, Gordon was right there, as usual.”
Despite the last shot going awry, Jokic delivered an impressive performance with 36 points, 21 rebounds, and eight assists, as the series heads back to Denver for Game 5.
