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How Nikola Jokić channeled Larry Bird to become even more dominant

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How Nikola Jokić channeled Larry Bird to become even more dominant

Nikola Jokić’s dramatic leap as a shooter this season isn’t directly linked to the Denver Nuggets’ playoffs semifinal loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last spring. But when one goes 2 for 14 from 3-point range over Games 6 and 7 as Jokić did, it certainly can be looked at as a turning point.

Jokić didn’t shoot the ball well enough. He knew it, and privately, it ate at him.

So one day during the offseason, Jokić went to his player development coach, Nuggets assistant Ogi Stojaković, and said almost every shot feels different to him. Did that lead Jokić to shoot 23 percent from 3-point range against Minnesota in that playoff series? Maybe, maybe not.

But Jokić is a perfectionist, a creature of routine. He felt something was obviously wrong with his shooting mechanics. And he wanted to fix it.

“I think it helps you so much when you are able to shoot the ball at a high level,” Jokić told The Athletic. “It helps you build. It gives you another thing that defenses have to respect on your game. If you can shoot the ball, teams are going to have to guard you differently, and that helps. It helps yourself, and it helps the team.”

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Ultimately, Jokić wanted to become more difficult to guard, to keep adding to his game as all the great ones over the course of NBA history have. With Jokić now less than two months from his 30th birthday, longevity has become a focal point to him and those close to him.

“Once he came to me before the season, we talked about his shot and what we could do with it,” Stojaković told The Athletic. “We decided to try and put the ball closer to his body and eliminate negative motions. He tried it and felt good about that, and that’s helped a lot. From there, it was about general reps. What we want is for him to be more fresh for the playoffs, and what we are aiming for is longevity.”

Jokić has won three league MVP awards, spearheaded an NBA title run and established himself as the best passing center in history. But somehow, this season arguably has been the best version of Jokić we have seen. He’s averaging 30.7 points, 13 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game. And even with those numbers, the shooting numbers have metaphorically left Earth.

Jokić is shooting 49.2 percent from 3-point range this season. That would represent a career-high by leaps and bounds — his previous high was 39.6 percent in 2017-18 and he shot just 36 percent from 3-point range last year.

He’s always been a good shooter from distance, particularly for a big man. But this season, on volume, he’s become arguably the best shooter in the league. He and Stojaković did this with preseason repetition. Instead of using the time between the Olympics and the season to rest, Jokić came to Denver roughly a month before he normally would. And then, the two got into the gym daily and worked.

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Jokić’s shot used to start lower, which means he had to put his legs more into the shot. The issue with that is Jokić takes so much contact during a game wrestling with opponents in the paint that the legs can go during the course of a game. By the end of a night, a lot of those 3-point attempts end up short and clang off the front of the rim.

Jokić now is starting his shooting motion higher, which means he uses less leg and more arm to get the shot off. The hitch that had been there previously is now gone. It looks a little like how all-time great Larry Bird used to shoot.


Nikola Jokić rebuilt his shot by starting his shooting motion higher up, relying more on arm strength. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

It’s worked. Jokić has been a more willing 3-point shooter this season. His volume — 4.6 attempts per game — is, by far, the highest of his career. If the numbers hold anywhere close to where they currently are, it could represent one of the greatest achievements of his career.

“What we like is that he’s taking less energy to shoot the ball,” Stojaković said. “He’s shooting the ball closer to his body. After the Olympic games, we realized that we needed to clean up his mechanics. He shoots it better now. It’s a cleaner shot, and it’s more confident.”

Jokić’s shot has become a bridge for what he’s done the entire season. Even as a good shooter in past seasons, opponents could at least hold out hope of not having to guard him the entire three levels of the floor. And ultimately, going back to the Minnesota series, that’s one of the things that allowed the Timberwolves to be somewhat successful in keeping him relatively in check.

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But this season, there hasn’t been any recourse for opponents. He’s been as close to unguardable as any player in NBA history, and because of this, the Nuggets have been one of the best teams in the league offensively (fourth in offensive rating, 117.4).

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“I think there are a lot of factors into what he has been this season,” Stojaković said. “He played for the national team, and that was almost like playing an extra playoff series for him. Every possession and every game mattered, so there was good transfer for him. He came into the season in great shape, and he has continued that.

“But we have continually tried to keep adding things to his game. I think he’s been the best player in the world for the past five to seven years. What we want is to keep him happy and healthy. Every period of his career has had certain challenges. He’s a tactically better player than he has been, and now we are aiming to extend his longevity.”

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If there is a negative to this, it’s that the Nuggets are relying on Jokić too heavily. He’s playing 36.9 minutes per game, which would be a career high by far (he’s twice logged 34.6 minutes per game over a season, including last year). It also could result in why his defensive performance hasn’t been as good.

But one reason the Nuggets have expressed strong interest in the trade market is that they want to find someone to help alleviate offensive pressure off Jokić. Denver’s goal is to be the last team standing, and that will always be the goal for the Nuggets as long as Jokić is playing at this level.

Currently, he’s playing at maybe his highest level ever, and it’s on Denver as an organization to maximize just how good a player he is. As for Jokić, he will keep fine-tuning to level up.

“His work ethic is through the roof,” Stojaković said. “That’s the reason he is who he is.”

(Photo illustration: Meech Robinson/The Athletic; photos: Patrick Smith/Getty Images; Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images; Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba breaks Seahawks franchise record in victory over Titans

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba breaks Seahawks franchise record in victory over Titans

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The Seattle Seahawks came away with their eighth win of the season on Sunday, and once again, it was star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba playing a large role in the victory.

This time, though, Smith-Njigba, the NFL’s leader in receiving yards, made some Seahawks history in the process.

The second-year receiver out of Ohio State set the single-season franchise record for receiving yards after totaling 167 in the 30-24 victory.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after defeating the Tennessee Titans in the game at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Coming into the game, Smith-Njigba needed 150 yards to break D.K. Metcalf’s record of 1,303, which he set in 2020. After Sam Darnold found his favorite target for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter, it was not only another deep touchdown connection between the two, but it made it quite possible that Smith-Njigba would break Metcalf’s record in just his 11th game of the season.

Smith-Njigba later reached the yardage needed in the third quarter, and that total is only expected to grow with six games left in the regular season.

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It was clear that Smith-Njigba was going to be a great receiver in the league when he tallied 100 receptions for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns during his rookie campaign in 2024. But with a new quarterback in Darnold — Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason — there were questions entering the year about whether the offense would look the same.

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Darnold has proven to be the right fit for Klint Kubiak’s offense, and Smith-Njigba has set a new career high in touchdowns and appears poised to shatter his receptions total as well.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after catching a pass for a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

It’s worth noting that Metcalf was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, partly due to Smith-Njigba’s emergence as a top pass-catching option during his rookie season.

The Seahawks also announced that Smith-Njigba has moved into the league record books. He now has the fifth-most receiving yards through the first 11 games of a season in the Super Bowl era, passing the great Julio Jones on that list.

No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans’ offense made things interesting late, as Chimere Dike caught a touchdown to bring them within six points in the fourth quarter. But Seattle’s defense, which has been a solid unit all season, came through in the end.

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Smith-Njigba finished the game with two touchdowns for Seattle, while Zach Charbonnet added a rushing score for the Seahawks.

Smith-Njigba will look to add to his single-season total next Sunday when the Seahawks return home to host the Minnesota Vikings.

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Angela Dugalic responds to her coach’s challenge, leading No. 3 UCLA past Southern

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Angela Dugalic responds to her coach’s challenge, leading No. 3 UCLA past Southern

During practice Friday, UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close made it clear she wanted to see more from forward Angela Dugalic.

“You’re not using what you’ve earned,” Close recalled telling her while speaking with reporters Friday.

Dugalic is going to face some of the best players in the country this week. Close thinks she can match up with them, but she needs Dugalic to play like it. With all the work Dugalic has done on her low-post game over the offseason, she can’t settle for floating around the perimeter.

Close won’t let her.

“I just want her to be all she can be,” Close said. “She’s been an animal down there in the low post, and I want her to hunt for that. I don’t want her to settle for playing on the perimeter when she’s got a whole lot more tools in her toolbox that she’s not accessing.”

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Close got that version of Dugalic in Sunday’s 88-37 rout of Southern at Pauley Pavilion. The third-ranked Bruins were in full control from whistle to whistle, even pitching a second-quarter shutout, and Dugalic led the way with 20 points, five rebounds and an assist. She shot eight for 15 from the floor with a trio of three-pointers.

It was pure dominance by UCLA. The Bruins shot 51% from the field while holding the Jaguars to 29%. They outrebounded Southern by 30. They forced 13 turnovers, nine in the first half, and scored 28 points off them. And on the offensive end, UCLA was flowing with 24 assists to Southern’s nine.

Gabriela Jaquez added eight rebounds, six points and five assists. Her first basket, a layup after cutting through the paint in the second quarter, gave the senior guard her 1,000th career point. Kiki Rice had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Lauren Betts finished with 15 points and six rebounds.

Dugalic opened the scoring for UCLA with a midrange jumper followed by a fast-break layup. She finished the first half with 12 points, tied for the team lead with freshman forward Lena Bilic, who finished the game with 14 points.

Despite Dugalic’s strong start, Close issued her another challenge at halftime.

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“I just want you to focus on making the right basketball play,” Close said. “What’s the defense doing? I didn’t think she was reading the defense. I thought she shot it well, and I thought she got some great rebounds, but I didn’t think she was in the flow that we’ve been seeing from her the last few days and our last few games.”

Close added that she thinks Dugalic is playing some of the best basketball of her career, and she’s continuously fighting to raise her standard. It’s not about how many points Dugalic scores, it’s about her decision-making, her defense, her consistency.

The Bruins entered the second quarter with a 22-9 lead thanks to a 14-2 run over the final six minutes of the first quarter after holding Southern (1-4) scoreless during the final three minutes. UCLA then exploded for a 27-0 run in the second quarter while holding the Jaguars scoreless for the entire period. It was the first time the Bruins held an opponent scoreless for an entire quarter since Dec. 5, 2021 against San José State.

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Still, Close wasn’t satisfied.

During halftime, Close said she reminded the Bruins of what they want to accomplish. Close wrote down a list of “passion plays,” or goals for every player for the second half.

UCLA guard Kiki Rice (1) looks to pass the ball against Southern forward DeMya Porter.

UCLA guard Kiki Rice controls the ball in front of Southern forward DeMya Porter during the first half of the Bruins’ win Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.

(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

It’s part of a mentality Close is trying to instill in her players. They know a 51-point win against an unranked Southern team isn’t going to give them the feedback they need.

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“Outcomes are actually a distraction,” Close said, referencing legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban. “What are the processes that we’re going to be committed to that are going to actually lead us to where we want to go?”

UCLA (6-0) will face No. 4 Texas on Wednesday in the Players Era Women’s Championship in Las Vegas, followed by either No. 2 South Carolina or Duke on Thanksgiving. The Bruins then will host No. 15 Tennessee on Nov. 30.

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UAB players take field hours after stabbing incident leaves two hospitalized

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UAB players take field hours after stabbing incident leaves two hospitalized

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University of Alabama at Birmingham football players took the field in Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday just hours after tragedy struck.

Two players from UAB were allegedly stabbed by a teammate at the team’s training center ahead of a game against South Florida, a university official confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

Both were reported to be in stable condition at a hospital. The names of the victims and the player in custody were not released.

Saturday’s game kicked off at 3 p.m. ET, and USF cruised to a 48-18 victory.

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Two UAB football players were stabbed hours before their game Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.  (Wes Hale/Getty Images)

An online inmate inquiry from the Jefferson County Jail showed that Daniel Israel Mincey, 20, was arrested by the UAB Campus Police just after noon Saturday and is facing charges of “aggravated assault — A to M — attempted murder.” The university would not confirm whether Mincey was a player involved.

MAN WHO SHOT AND KILLED UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA FOOTBALL PLAYERS SENTENCED TO 5 LIFE TERMS

Mincey is a redshirt freshman who joined the team after one season at Kentucky, according to the UAB football roster.

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The two players were attacked Saturday morning at the Football Operations Center, the training center for the Blazers’ football program. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

There appeared to be concerns about whether the game would proceed as scheduled given the incident, but a spokesperson confirmed that the university elected to play.

“We’re grateful to report that two players injured in an incident this morning at the Football Operations Building are in stable condition. Our thoughts are with them and their families as they recover. The suspect — another player — remains in custody, and an investigation is taking place,” a spokesperson said.

USF quarterback Byrum Brown threw for 353 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in the blowout win. UAB held a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, but USF scored 27 unanswered points.

A South Florida Bulls helmet near the sideline during a game between the South Florida Bulls and the Miami Hurricanes Sept. 13, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The highlight of Brown’s day was a 60-yard touchdown pass to Mudia Reuben, which gave USF a 24-10 lead on the first play of the third quarter. Nykahi Davenport added 117 rushing yards and a touchdown run for USF.

UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna had 230 passing yards but was also responsible for three costly interceptions.

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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