DENVER — Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic received his third Most Valuable Player award from NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a ceremony before Tuesday's playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena.
After receiving this trophy, Jokic delivered a memorable playoff performance Tuesday night.
Jokic scored 40 points and dished out 13 assists, and the Nuggets shut down Anthony Edwards in a 112-97 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves that put the reigning NBA champs one win away from the Western Conference finals.
Jokic even had another rim-rattling dunk, something he’s not known for.
“You know, I’m a freak of nature,” Jokic said. “Why not show off my athleticism?”
“He did everything for us tonight,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “And it was fun to watch.”
“He's amazing,” said Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, “just the way he picks apart the game and reads the game and trusts his teammates. I'm guessing that for the big fella, getting the trophy tonight probably motivated him a little bit. Just being at home was a lot of fun, the place was rocking, kind of felt the energy and he definitely had it going.”
Last week, Jokic was named the NBA MVP for the third time in four years.
Jokic was the first player in franchise history to win the league's MVP award in 2021 and repeated in 2022. Jokic was denied a third-straight last season when Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers won the 2023 MVP.
Despite missing the 2023 season MVP, Jokic led Denver to its first-ever NBA championship and was named the Finals MVP last June.
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