Nikola Jokic is supposed to feast on Rudy Gobert. The Denver Nuggets superstar has historically picked apart the four-time Defensive Player of the Year, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' big man has long been a punchline whenever the two are matched up. But three games into this first-round series, the Frenchman has flipped the dynamic — and Stephen A. Smith now believes Jokic is hurt.
After Minnesota's 113-96 Game 3 win, in which Jokic went 7-of-26 from the field and 2-of-10 from three for the worst shooting playoff game of his career, Smith was unequivocal on First Take.
"When you look at Jokic in all seriousness, here's the issue," Smith said. "He's not healthy. He's not himself. We all know that he's not himself."
Smith's evidence was the shot chart itself. The Nuggets centre finished with 27 points but did so on a wildly inefficient line, badly missing looks he typically converts.
"What are we? Seven for 26. That's not Jokic," Smith said. "We know how he usually has a field day against Rudy Gobert. We understand it. They don't look themselves."
Across three games, Gobert has held Jokic to a stunning 13-of-40 from the field and 4-of-19 from three. Chiney Ogwumike, sitting alongside Smith on the desk, argued the storyline is being framed wrong — this is not just about Jokic struggling. It is about Gobert finally winning the matchup that has tortured him for years.
"Rudy Gobert is probably one of the most criticized players in the NBA, and the Frenchman has taken this matchup personally," Ogwumike said. "He has looked phenomenal."
Ogwumike pointed out that Gobert has resisted Denver's attempts to attack him in isolation and forced Jokic to operate in single coverage rather than collapsing the defence.
"We've seen multiple highlights isolate Rudy Gobert one-on-one. We've seen Luka Doncic, a number of players try to just get at him that way," she said. "Well, Nikola Jokic has had opportunities one-on-one on the top of the key. Again, he's been able to move and keep him in single coverage."
She also credited Aaron Gordon's burst and the broader Timberwolves cast, with Anthony Edwards leading and Jaden McDaniels backing up his pre-series trash talk.
"You have to give a lot of credit to the Frenchman for rising to the occasion in this moment," Ogwumike said.
Smith pivoted to the rest of Denver's roster. With Jokic compromised, the burden falls heavily on the supporting cast — and Smith named two areas of concern beyond the centre's health.
"Jamal Murray's got to step it up," Smith said. "And McDaniels, give him credit. He talked the talk, then he stepped on the court and backed it up. Minnesota's got that size. They've got athleticism. They got Ant-Man. And they got the cats around them stepping up their game, including Julius Randle doing what they got to do."
His verdict on the Nuggets' position was as direct as it gets.
"Denver's in a bit of trouble here, no doubt," Smith said.
Game 4 in Minneapolis tonight is now the pivot point of the series. If the Wolves take it, they go up 3-1 with the chance to close it out at home in Game 5. If Jokic suddenly looks like himself again, Denver buys back the home-court advantage they've already lost.
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*Originally published on [NBA News Global](https://nbanews.global/article/stephen-a-jokic-not-healthy-nuggets-wolves-gobert-2-1-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
