The basketball world pays attention when two of Europe's best exports stand up for each other. Nikola Jokic recently put an end to the tired story that there are no defenses in the NBA by using Luka Doncic's dominance as his main proof.

The three-time MVP didn't hold back when he talked about people who say the league has gotten soft.

On the "X&O's CHAT" podcast, Jokic strongly defended the NBA's defensive intensity against those who questioned it.

"The NBA is by far the best league in the world, with the best players. I am glad we are talking about this because when people say that there's no defense played in the NBA… that's such nonsense.

Whoever says that, whether it's a coach or someone else, either doesn't understand the game, doesn't watch it, or if they do watch it, then they still don't understand it," he stated.

"Luka Doncic played in the EuroLeague when he was 18, right? He was the MVP and everything. And then look at Luka Doncic in the EuroBasket. Every game he's scoring 35, 40, 45. I think his average was around 34.

It doesn't matter; he scores more in the European Championship than he does in the NBA. So where are those experts now telling me that someone will slow him down?"

The comparison to Doncic is important. Doncic was the EuroLeague MVP at 18, but he averaged 34 points at EuroBasket, which is more than he scored in the NBA against what were thought to be weaker defenses.

That gap shows that it's wrong to think that European basketball plays better defense just because the scores are lower.

A lot of the criticism is aimed at Jokic himself for not being able to play defense, which makes his defense of NBA play even more pointed.

In today's basketball, Stephen Curry can shoot from halfcourt, Kevin Durant and Victor Wembanyama can move like guards even though they are over seven feet tall, and Jokic can control the pace even though he weighs 285 pounds.

European stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lauri Markkanen, and Alperen Sengun also do very well in FIBA competitions, which backs up Jokic's point.

The numbers back him up. Teams now have about 95–100 possessions per game and shoot about 40 three-pointers each night.

Rules favor offense, players are better than ever, and the game is moving much faster. It's not realistic to expect playoff-level defense in all 82 regular-season games.

Nikola Jokic and Nuggets crush Rockets in key Western Conference clash

Nikola Jokic fulfilled his Wednesday night commitment. The Nuggets won their game against Houston by a score of 129-93, and the three-time MVP achieved his 25th triple-double with 16 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds.

Denver won the season series 3-1, which gave them the important tiebreaker. The West standings are very close right now, and every little bit counts when it comes to playoff seeding.

Denver was behind Houston going into the game, but they took advantage of the situation to close the gap and take the lead in head-to-head games.

The victory brought the Nuggets to a position where they trail the Rockets by only half a game. The current state of the team shows that Jokic performs at his top level while Murray maintains steady scoring, and Denver experiences its best performance during this critical period.

The Western Conference teams are monitoring the situation. Houston discovered on Wednesday what every other team already knew: this current version of the Nuggets presents a playoff challenge that no team wishes to face.

Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi