Wendell Carter Jr. Shines Against Jokic, Draws Praise from Angel Reese
The Orlando Magic didn’t leave Denver with a win on Thursday night, but Wendell Carter Jr. made sure they didn’t leave empty-handed either. In a game that featured a head-to-head matchup with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Carter Jr. delivered one of his best performances of the season - and it didn’t go unnoticed.
Carter Jr. dropped 26 points on an ultra-efficient 11-of-15 shooting night, including a scorching 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. He added nine rebounds and showed off a confidence that’s been building all season. With Jokic sagging off him defensively, Carter didn’t hesitate to let it fly from deep - and he made Denver pay for it.
The performance turned heads, including that of WNBA star Angel Reese, who took to social media to crown Carter Jr. as her “MIP” - Most Improved Player - with a simple but telling message: “My MIP🤍.”
Carter Jr. has quietly been trending upward this season. Through the current campaign, he’s averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 boards per game as the Magic’s starting center.
That’s a noticeable jump from last year’s 9.1 points and 7.2 rebounds - the lowest numbers he’s posted since his rookie season. The growth is showing not just in the box score, but in the way he’s asserting himself on the court, especially against elite competition like Jokic.
Of course, Jokic still did Jokic things. The Nuggets’ big man notched yet another triple-double - 23 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists - and led Denver to its sixth straight win with a 126-115 victory.
Carter Jr. had the primary assignment on Jokic for stretches, and while stopping the Serbian superstar is a tall order for anyone, Carter didn’t back down. He competed, battled, and made his presence felt - and that’s exactly what you want to see from a young center trying to carve out his place among the league’s best.
Off the court, Carter Jr. and Angel Reese have been generating some buzz of their own. The two have been dropping hints about their relationship on social media for months now, and Carter addressed the rumors during a recent appearance on FanDuel’s Run It Back podcast.
“That’s the homie for sure. We locked in,” Carter said.
“You all going to find out when y’all need to find out. We’ll just leave it at that.
That’s my girl, though. We locked in for sure.”
Reese, who just wrapped up her second WNBA season with the Chicago Sky, averaged 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds - numbers that reinforce her status as one of the league’s premier young talents. While she hasn’t been spotted courtside at a Magic game just yet, the connection between the two athletes seems to be growing stronger - both online and off.
But for Carter Jr., the focus now shifts back to basketball. The Magic are looking to bounce back as they prepare to face the Utah Jazz on Saturday. If Carter can keep building on performances like this one, Orlando might just have something brewing in the frontcourt - and the league is starting to take notice.