OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, two of the favorites for the NBA’s MVP award, showed why in a pair of exciting games on back-to-back days in Oklahoma City.
Neither emerged as a clear favorite to claim the hardware.
Jokic, a three-time winner, stuffed the stat sheet as usual. In a 127-103 loss to the Thunder on Sunday, he had 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
On Monday, he appeared more determined and assertive, finishing with 35 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists in a 140-127 win that moved Denver into second place in the conference.
“Some people use the line, ‘Some people are playing checkers and some are playing chess,’” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “I mean, he (Jokic) is just a brilliant person, has a brilliant mind. And he sees things and he reads them at real speed. He’s not a guy that needs to watch the game film after it. He can pick it up as it’s going on. Tonight he was awesome.”
Jokic was dominant, despite injuries to his right elbow and left ankle that Malone thought might keep his star center out of the game.
“There’s a reason that he’s the best player in the world, because you know the guy just can dominate in so many different ways and forms,” Malone said.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA scoring leader who has the Thunder at the top of the Western Conference standings, delivered too. He scored 40 points on Sunday and 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting on Monday.
Gilgeous-Alexander said after Sunday’s win that he appreciated the energy the two-game series created and all that came with it.
“It’s like, what you get out of bed for as a competitor, as a basketball player,” he said. “It adds a little bit more pop and excitement to the games, without a doubt. Just walking out there pregame, you can feel it in the building.”
The Nuggets were happy to ‘hold’ Gilgeous-Alexander eight points below his average.
“He’s definitely one of the top players in this league,” Jokic said. “He’s really talented. He’s so crafty. His mid-range has really, really, really, historical accuracy. He’s a great player. We tried to make him take bad shots or just get rid of the ball.”
Fittingly, the season series ended with each team claiming two wins.
