Nikola Jokic Fooled Steph Curry With Perfect Head Fake During Nuggets-Warriors Game

While the NBA season is still young, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has raced out of the gate as the early favorite to win the league’s MVP award—the fourth of his career—and the Serbian big man demonstrated exactly why that’s the case in a pivotal moment during the Nuggets’ 119-115 win over the Golden State Warriors in an NBA Cup group-play game at Ball Arena on Tuesday.

Trailing by two points with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Jokic brought the ball up as Warriors guard Stephen Curry defended him. Jokic began to back down the smaller Curry on the wing until the Nuggets big man suddenly pivoted and delivered a perfect head fake that had Curry searching in all different directions for the ball’s location.

Unfortunately for the Warriors star, the ball was still in the hands of Jokic, who promptly drained the 18-foot jump shot to tie the game.

Jokic, a magician with the ball in his hands, finished the game with 38 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals in 40 minutes. Denver went on to win the contest but finished 2-2 in NBA Cup group-play, failing to advance to the knockout round.