Nuggets’ Michael Malone shades MVP voters after Nikola Jokic’s massive performance

Another night, another monster game from Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.

On Sunday night, the Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 122-120. The win came thanks to the efforts of Jokic, who posted his fourth straight triple-double. This marks the 136th career triple-double for Jokic, as he moves within three triple-doubles of tying Magic Johnson. Should Jokic pass Johnson, he will move into third place on the all-time triple-doubles list.

Against the Mavericks, Jokic would have 37 points, 18 rebounds, and 15 assists. With performances like this coming like clockwork for Jokic, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone still joked about his low spot in the MVP race.

“I assume after tonight’s performance he’ll probably be 5th in the MVP voting,” joked Malone.

Currently, Jokic sits in the middle of the MVP race early in the season. Before this monster performance, NBA.com had Jokic ranked third in the MVP race. He sits behind Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis. Perhaps after the monster performance he put on against the Mavericks, Jokic could catapult himself to the top of the MVP ladder.

Nikola Jokic continues to leave his Nuggets teammates in awe

Malone became head coach of the Nuggets in 2015, and Jokic was drafted in 2014 but joined the team a year later. Needless to say, the pair have been working together since day 1. Even after coaching Jokic all these years, Malone still finds himself in awe of the talent Jokic possesses. In fact, he’s starting to run out of words to describe him.

“Just incredible. Overall, running out of words, adjectives, and ways to describe his greatness and his impact,” said Malone after the Nuggets victory over the Mavericks. “I think a simple way to say that is he’s the best player in the world. That’s the best way you can say it in my opinion.”

Malone isn’t the only one who continues to be fascinated by Jokic’s performances. Jokic’s teammates, including Michael Porter Jr., still get their minds blown by some of his final stat lines.

“There’s games where he’s getting triple-doubles, but it’s not even like close triple-doubles. It’s not like it’s 22-10-11. I mean 37-18-15 is pretty crazy. And it’s so crazy too because he does it throughout the entirety of the game,” said Porter. “Like he can do that every single night. It’s not a loud 37-18-15, he just does it throughout the course of the game and it’s just normal for him.”

Jokic’s teammates have also taken notice of his pregame and postgame regimen. There is a reason he’s the best player in the NBA.

“His consistency also comes from taking care of his body off the court. He’s that productive night in and night out because of the way he takes care of his body,” Porter continued. “The time he spends in the weight room, time he spends in recovery. He’s one of the last ones to leave every night regardless of if we win or lose. That’s a testament to his discipline.”