Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) smiles after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Imagesimage captionOklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) smiles after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) smiles after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two leading MVP candidates, faced off for the second time in two nights on Monday, and it was the former who emerged victorious on this occasion. Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to an impressive 140-127 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and made some interesting comments on the MVP race postgame.
“This is my third or fourth year in a row so…I can’t control it…I will say I think I’m playing the best basketball of my life, so if that’s enough, it’s enough," Jokic said. "If not, the guy deserves it. He’s really amazing.”
Jokic has never campaigned for MVP in the past and isn't going to do so now, either. The 30-year-old would be grateful to win the award for the fourth time in his career but won't lose any sleep if he loses out to Gilgeous-Alexander this year.
While Jokic isn't obsessed with being named MVP, he certainly helped his chances of winning the award with that performance against the Thunder. The seven-time All-Star had 35 points (15-20 FG), 18 rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and one block on the night.
Jokic did not miss a shot in the second half and was 5-5 from the field in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets took over. It was another masterpiece, and what made this performance all the more impressive was that he was dealing with ankle and elbow injuries. The Serbian battled through the pain to help his team improve to 42-23 this season.
Jokic reckons he is playing the best basketball of his life, and he is. He is putting up ridiculous averages of 28.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game for the Nuggets in 2024-25 while shooting 57.7% from the field and 43.0% from beyond the arc.
You'd probably be a lock for MVP in most seasons when you put up those numbers, but Jokic is not even the favorite at the moment. Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the race thanks to the Thunder's 53-12 record and his averages of 32.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
While Gilgeous-Alexander had just 25 points (8-14 FG), three rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and two blocks in Monday's loss, he did shine in the first meeting on Sunday. The 26-year-old had 40 points to lead the Thunder to a 127-103 win and could well have ended this MVP race had he won the rematch, too.
Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone Believes Nikola Jokic Is The MVP
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was asked postgame if this has been the best season of Jokic's career. Malone felt it had been and shared his thoughts on the MVP race as well.
"As we wind down this season, this whole MVP thing is really going to pick up," Malone said. "You understand that, that's a part of it. Obviously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a great player, and if he wins his first MVP, he's deserving of that.
"My thing is this: If you didn't know that Nikola won three MVPs, and I put Player A and Player B on paper and you had no idea that the guy who was averaging a triple-double, the guy who's top three in the three major statistical categories, things that no one's ever done, he wins the MVP 10 times out of 10," Malone stated. "And if you don't think so, I think you guys are all full of s***."
There is certainly some voter fatigue involved here after Jokic won the award in 2021, 2022, and 2024. If he had never been named MVP before, he might have been the favorite today. That said, you shouldn't diminish what Gilgeous-Alexander has done this season, as he certainly has a good case to win the award.
## Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Downplays Importance Of Wins And Losses After Nuggets Defeat
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