Nikola Jokic believes he is playing the best basketball of his life and hopes it will be enough to land his fourth MVP award, having led the Denver Nuggets past his chief rival Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Monday.

The Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder engaged in an eagerly anticipated back-to-back on Sunday and Monday, pitting the top two candidates for MVP honours against each other.

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder won the first game by a 127-103 scoreline, but Denver got a measure of revenge with a 140-127 victory on Monday.

Jokic scored a game-high 35 points, as well as adding 18 rebounds and eight assists, while Gilgeous-Alexander had 25 points, three rebounds and seven assists.

Jokic – who previously won the NBA's top individual prize in 2021, 2022 and 2024 – believes he is enjoying his best season yet, but he will not lobby for MVP votes.

"I will say that I think I'm playing the best basketball of my life, so if that's enough, that's enough," Jokic said after the game. "If not, their guy deserves it. He's really amazing."

Denver frequently doubled up on Gilgeous-Alexander, holding him to 1-of-2 shooting in the fourth quarter, and Jokic felt the Canadian needed particular attention.

"We just had to give it a different look," Jokic said. "He's definitely a top player in this league. He's really talented. He's so crafty. 

"His mid-range is really, really, really historical, I'm going to say. He's a great player, so we tried to make him take bad shots or just get rid of the ball."

 

 

 

 

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A fourth MVP award for Jokic would draw him level with legendary duo Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James, with only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan and Bill Russell (five apiece) winning more.

Denver coach Michael Malone feels the decision is an easy one, pointing out that Jokic is averaging career highs of 28.9 points, 10.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game in 2024-25.

Malone suggested voter fatigue will have played a part if Jokic falls short of the award, saying: "As we wind down this season, this whole MVP thing is really going to pick up.

"You understand that; that's 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 he's the guy who was averaging a triple-double, the guy who is top three in the three major statistical categories, things that no one's ever done... he wins the MVP 10 times out of 10. 

"If you don't think so, I think you guys are all full of s***."