Yahoo Sports

Nikola Jokic finished Monday’s 106-80 loss to the Timberwolves with 16 points (5-of-13 FGs, 6-of-6 FTs), 16 rebounds, eight assists, and one blocked shot in 39 minutes.

Advice: Jamal Murray (calf) isn’t playing at full strength, and Minnesota was playing without Rudy Gobert on Monday. With the Nuggets having dropped Game 1, they needed an elite performance from Jokic. While he did finish two assists shy of a triple-double, they did not get that from the Joker. He committed four turnovers, but the shooting (5-of-13 FGs) was especially concerning. Minnesota had some success during Game 1 using Karl-Anthony Towns or Naz Reid on Jokic, with Gobert serving as the “free safety.” The Timberwolves could not do that in Game 2, but they successfully defended Jokic straight up. He and the Nuggets have some things to address ahead of Friday’s Game 3. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:48 pm

Nikola Jokic finished Saturday’s loss to Minnesota with 32 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two three-pointers across 41 minutes.

Advice: Joker led his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals, but this game was far from blemish-free. The rest of his team combined for five turnovers, and Jokic committed seven, tied for his second-most in a playoff game. He was just 2-of-9 from beyond the arc and shot 11-of-25 from the field overall, highlighting an inefficient and turnover-riddled evening as Denver lost at home for the first time since March 29. The Nuggets have been stellar at Ball Arena, and Jokic typically doesn’t make this many mistakes. He’ll look to get back on track in Game 2 on Monday. Rotoworld Saturday, 7:10 pm

Jaylen Brown logged 26 minutes in Wednesday’s 118-184 win over the Heat, amassing 25 points (11-of-19 FGs, 2-of-5 FTs), six rebounds, two assists, and one 3-pointer.

Advice: Brown recorded a solid point total, shooting well over 50% from the field, but efficiency remains problematic in other areas. In addition to committing five turnovers in the series decider, he shot 40% from the foul line. For the series, Brown was 9-of-20 (45%) from the charity stripe, which will not get it done against stronger opposition. Add in 16 turnovers in the five-game series, and Brown has some things to clean up before the second round begins. Boston will play Cleveland or Orlando, with the Cavs leading that series by three games to two. Rotoworld Wednesday, 7:04 pm

Nikola Jokic stuffed the stat sheet on Monday with 25 points (12-of-21 FGs), 20 rebounds, nine assists, one triple and seven turnovers in Game 5 against the Lakers.

Advice: For the second time this series, Jokic fell one assist shy of recording a triple-double. This time, he was one assist away from his second 20/20/10 triple-double of the series. He was unreal throughout their five games against the Lakers, averaging 28.2 points, 16.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 triples while shooting 59.1% from the floor and 92.6% from the line. They’ll move on to face the Timberwolves in the second round, which will be another tough matchup down low. However, that won’t prevent Jokic from putting up big numbers. Rotoworld Monday, 9:36 pm

Williamson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Monday's Game 4 against the Thunder.

Advice: There was optimism that Williamson could return at some point in the postseason if New Orleans advanced, and that remains true as coach Willie Green said Sunday morning the superstar forward was cleared for stationary basketball drills, per Erin Summers of Bally Sports New Orleans. However, Williamson still isn't running and remains out while rehabbing a left hamstring strain he suffered during the team's first Play-In Tournament game against the Lakers. The Pelicans' season will be on the line Monday, so the positive update on Williamson may be for naught. Rotowire.com Apr 28, 2:40 pm