After only ten games, the NBA MVP race is done. Nikola Jokić had another impressive performance on Sunday night. Jokić earned his fourth consecutive triple-double as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 122-120. Jokić dominated the game with 37 points, 18 rebounds, and 15 assists.
The reigning MVP hopes to make it two in a row and four of the last five this season. If named MVP, Jokić will join LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell as the only NBA players to have won four or more MVPs. After ten games, Jokić seemed to be on track to become a legend. He averages 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 11.7 assists each game.
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Jokić scored 37 points, but did not top all scorers. Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving scored 43 points on 17-of-22 shooting, keeping the team in the game until the final bell. The Nuggets took the game’s largest lead of 10 points in the first quarter, and a back-and-forth game finished with a Kyrie Irving missed three-pointer and a Daniel Gafford failed putback.
It wasn’t only Jokić and Irving’s display. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić scored 24 points and nearly had a triple-double. Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. scored 17 points, including the game-winning jumper with six seconds left.
The Nuggets’ victory maintains them one game behind the three-way tie atop the Western Conference between the Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Golden State Warriors.
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