‘If we were in Serbia we would all be fired’: Jokić’s Nuggets crash out in first round of playoffs

• Minnesota eliminate Denver in Game 6 of series

• Knicks smash NBA records in 51-point rout of Hawks

• 76ers surge in Embiid’s return to force Game 7 v Celtics

Three years after Nikola Jokić led the Denver Nuggets to the NBA championship, the peak looked awfully distant for the team from the Mile High City and the three-time MVP award winner.

Ousted in six games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round playoff series, the Nuggets trudged into the offseason with plenty of questions to answer about their ability to remain a true title contender in the stacked Western Conference. For the first time in four years, Denver failed to make it to May.