Nikola Jokic delivered a stellar performance, scoring a game-high 41 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 116-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jokic also contributed 11 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in the game on Wednesday night.
With this win, the Denver Nuggets reclaimed the top spot in the Western Conference, leading by one game with just two regular-season matches remaining. They are now favorites to secure the number one seed and home advantage for the playoffs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, on the other hand, are now tied for second place in the West with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who dominated the San Antonio Spurs 127-89. The Spurs were without key players like Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Jeremy Sochan due to injuries.
In other Western Conference action, Devin Booker scored 37 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 124-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink of securing a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after a 110-98 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 54 points as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat 111-92, ending the Heat’s hopes of a top-six seed.
The Milwaukee Bucks, currently in second place in the East, defeated the Orlando Magic 117-99, while the Charlotte Hornets staged a remarkable comeback from 18 points down to beat the Atlanta Hawks 115-114. The Brooklyn Nets also secured a 106-102 victory against the Toronto Raptors.
Mark Jackson was forced to apologize after the NBA revealed he was the only voter who didn’t include Denver Nuggets star, Nikola Jokic in the MVP ballot.
The longtime ESPN analyst found himself in hot water after excluding Jokic from his top five.
He instead chose Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Donovan Mitchell.
Jackson issues apology over MVP
Jackson made an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio a few hours after the votes were unveiled to address the controversy, per Sports Illustrated.
He focused on the word ‘mistake’ as he attempted to do damage control, saying:
“Mistake. One thing I live by, you make a mistake, you own it. I’m not a guy that does it for clicks or to be trending. Absolute mistake made by me. I am thinking, ‘How did I make that mistake?’”
Jackson questioned after Jokic snub
However, the apology didn’t stop fans from blasting Jackson on social media.
The Western Conference Semifinals will now feature the Denver Nuggets.
In Game 5 of their best-of-seven series, they overcame an early 15-point deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-109.
With its win on Tuesday, Denver now leads the series 4-1.
Without Nikola Jokic’s genius, it would have been impossible for the Nuggets to win Game 5.
With 28 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists against the Wolves, he was outstanding in the final game.
It was the Joker’s second triple-double of the series. The Nuggets improved to 29-2 this season, including the playoffs, when the Serbian big man had a triple-double.
Jokic enters history books again
Jokic now has eight career triple-doubles in the playoffs.
Only the great Wilt Chamberlain has more triple-doubles by a center in NBA playoff history than Jokic with nine.
According to ESPN, Jokic is the fifth player in NBA history to record a 25-15-10 stat line in a clinching opportunity.
He joined Oscar Robertson (1963), Chamberlain (1967), James Worthy (1988), and LeBron James (2020) in that exclusive group.
Murray delivers in Game 5
Jokic got some help from his teammate Jamal Murray. He scored 35 points against the Wolves in Game 5.
He has now scored at least 35 points in seven playoff games. Only Jokic has more 35-point games in the playoffs than Murray, with nine.
Joel Embiid thinks it would be absurd if missing this week’s pivotal matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets had any impact on his MVP aspirations.
Superstar Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is dominating the NBA with a 33.2 point scoring average per game, surpassing his previous high of 30.6 from last season.
Moreover, he averages a respectable 10.2 rebounds per game, however this is his lowest season total since 2016–17.
Due to Embiid’s absence on account of a calf injury, Denver was able to defeat Denver 116-111 behind the play of Jokic, who scored 25 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and provided 12 assists.
The triple-double made Jokic just the third player in NBA history to produce 10 games of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same season, sparking debate over whether it could be a key moment in the MVP race.
After that game, Jokic said the absent Embiid would be “remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league”.
Whether Embiid can deny Jokic a third straight MVP award remains to be seen, and recency bias may help to tilt it the way of the Nuggets star, who is averaging 24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.9 assists.
Embiid’s message was a simple one – “I don’t care” – as he prioritises team success over individual glory.
The Nuggets head the Western Conference, with Philadelphia third in the East, so both main contenders for the MVP have done a lot of winning this season and will hope to do plenty more in the playoffs.
Embiid said: “If one game is going to hurt anybody’s chances, then I guess everybody should be out of it. We all have bad games. Guys miss matchups.
“That’s not the first time, and it’s not really a matchup about me and Nikola. He’s a great player, amazing player. He’s one of the best players in the league, and I’m a huge fan.
“So not playing against him was a huge bummer. But there’s a bigger goal in sight, and that’s to make sure we’re healthy for the playoffs.”
Embiid had a standout game against the Nuggets on January 28, outshining Jokic with 47 points and 18 rebounds in a Sixers win, so he is adamant there was no desire to duck another clash with Denver’s talisman.
He added on Wednesday, after returning to score 25 points in Philadelphia’s 116-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks: “I’ve got nothing to prove. The last matchup, we won, and I had whatever I had.
“To go out there and say that I’m scared after what I did the last time is kind of stupid. But, like I said, I don’t care if I win it or not. I’m just focused on trying to win a championship, and whatever happens, happens.”
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers supported Embiid’s stance, saying ahead of Wednesday’s game: “Joel’s body of work speaks for itself. You’re not judged for one game. You’re judged for the entire season of work and your team’s record and how you perform, and he’s been dominant all year.”
Looking at whether missing out last time out could harm Embiid’s MVP prospects, Rivers said it might have an impact, but he is baffled as to why that would be the case.
“Will that hurt him? I doubt it. But it could,” Rivers said. “I don’t know what people use for criteria. It seems like it changes weekly, what the real criteria is.
“Before, it was a bunch of numbers. Now, it’s wins. I’m like, ‘Well, it wasn’t wins last year’. You know what I’m saying? It just feels like, every year, it keeps changing.”
Jokic took MVP honours last season when the Nuggets finished sixth in the Western Conference.
As the Denver Nuggets defeated the Houston Rockets 133-112 on Tuesday, Nikola Jokic became the sixth player in NBA history to reach 100 career triple-doubles.
His 24th triple-double of the season, the Serbian center ended with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The Nuggets have won each game in which Jokic has recorded a triple-double this season, making it his 15th triple-double in his last 20 games.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said: “We haven’t lost a game in those triple-doubles which speaks to his greatness.”
Jokic joined Russell Westbrook (198), Oscar Robertson (181), Magic Johnson (138), Jason Kidd (107) and LeBron James (106) in reaching triple figures for triple-doubles in the NBA.
Congrats to Nikola Jokic of the @nuggets for becoming the 6th player in NBA history to reach 100 career triple-doubles! pic.twitter.com/ZVx7B4sOWE
If Jokic, who is 28 years old, continues on the path he has taken in the past two consecutive MVP seasons, he could foreseeably move up that list.
“For him to be mentioned with all these historical accomplishments, reminds you that we are so blessed to have a guy like Nikola,” Malone added.
“I challenge all of us in Denver to never take him for granted. To never take his greatness for granted.”
Malone subtly added that Jokic should win a third straight MVP, while discussing his strengths.
“We all know he’s a two-time MVP, about to be a three-time MVP, you talk about the skill level, the IQ, the rebounding, playmaking, scoring all that but the intangibles are the areas Nikola has grown the most,” Malone said.
On Jokic’s defense, Malone added: “He’s a high IQ player. He has tremendous anticipation and outstanding hand-eye coordination.
“People think if you’re not a great athlete, you can’t be a good defender but I think that’s malarkey. I think Nikola is a living example of a guy who can be an effective defender and not necessarily be an elite athlete.”
Superstar Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets advanced toward a third straight MVP award by dominating the Portland Trail Blazers in a 122-113 victory on Tuesday.
Jokic was unstoppable on offense, scoring 36 points on 13 of 14 shots, collecting 12 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists.
He accomplished this by recording multiple triple-doubles of 35 points while shooting at least 90% from the field, making him the only player in NBA history to do it. The only other player with even one of these games is Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain.
Jokic was supported well by Michael Porter Jr, who scored 23 points on nine-of-13 shooting, while Jamal Murray chipped in 17 points (six-of-15), seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.
For the Blazers, it was another spectacular showing from the franchise’s all-time scoring leader as Damian Lillard had a game-high 44 points on 12-of-20 shooting with eight assists.
It continued a blistering run of form for Lillard, who is averaging a league-leading 39 points per game across his past six outings, although Portland have only been able to convert his stellar play into two wins from six.
With the victory, the Nuggets are now alone atop the Western Conference with a record of 31-13, which the Memphis Grizzlies can tie if they can secure their 11th consecutive win when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Only needed three quarters to get a triple-double 🤫
Jrue Holiday has set a new season-high points total in back-to-back games after putting up 37 in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 130-122 triumph at home against the Toronto Raptors.
Holiday scored a season-high 35 on Monday against the Indiana Pacers in the first leg of the Bucks’ back-to-back, and he followed it up with 37 against the Raptors.
He shot 16-of-26 from the field while adding seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block, and Fred VanVleet was just as good for Toronto.
VanVleet tied his season-high by scoring 39 points on 15-of-28 shooting, with nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Bucks are now 29-16 and occupy the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Jrue Holiday becomes the first Bucks guard with back-to-back 35-point games since Michael Redd in 2006.
Joel Embiid was too big and too strong on his way to a game-high 41 points in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 120-110 road win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Embiid shot 12-of-22 from the field and 15-of-18 from the free throw line while adding nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a comprehensive performance.
Tobias Harris was sharp in a supporting role, snatching five steals in the first half while scoring 20 points on efficient eight-of-12 shooting.
For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard made it five consecutive games with at least 24 points and a steal as he begins to recapture his All-NBA form following a string of injuries.
