Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning NBA Finals and regular season MVP, Luka Doncic leads the league in scoring and Victor Wembanyama is the face of a dramatic franchise revival. But make no mistake, Nikola Jokic still has a strong case for being the best player in the NBA today. He reinforced that on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns.
The Denver Nuggets superstar hit a bucket near the lower half of the free-throw circle with 11.5 seconds remaining, giving his team a 125-123 win at the Mortgage Matchup Center.
Jokic didn’t have his greatest scoring night – finishing with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting – but he stepped up in the game’s most important moment. The future Hall of Fame center also posted 17 rebounds and 17 assists to record his 29th triple-double of the season. Despite facing more tough defenses recently, he has continued to make a terrifying impact on the court.
Clutch!
Nikola Jokic with a clutch bucket inside to win the game for Denver
– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 25 March 2026
The 2023 Finals MVP and three-time regular season MVP knows what his role is on this team. He’s a brilliant playmaker, but the Nuggets are also relying on him to score at will. Jokic himself will admit that Denver did not have a chance to eliminate last year’s NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder due to poor shooting performance in the middle part of the Western Conference semi-finals. He intends to maintain his excellent form and strong health after this season.
The Nuggets are deeper than they have been since winning the title – Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 off the bench against the Suns – but the offense runs through Nikola Jokic. How he handles pressure will determine how dangerous this team is in 2026.
He certainly performed in The Desert. Ideally, No. 15 won’t have to play hero when Denver (45-28) hosts the lackluster Dallas Mavericks (23-49) on Wednesday.
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