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Denver Nuggets Weekly Recap: Who’s Climbing And Who’s Stuck On The Ground

By Alex Murray

Apr 4, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone with center Nikola Jokic (15) and forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) and forward Aaron Gordon (50) and forward Will Barton (5) and guard PJ Dozier (35) in the second quarter against the Orlando Magic at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone with center Nikola Jokic (15) and forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) and forward Aaron Gordon (50) and forward Will Barton (5) and guard PJ Dozier (35) in the second quarter against the Orlando Magic at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nikola Jokic The MVP Favorite – (14,000+ feet – Chillin’ On The Mountaintop)

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 29: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets passes over Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on December 29, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 29: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets passes over Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on December 29, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Nikola Jokic was frustrated and embarrassed as much if not more than anyone during that Sunday afternoon defeat, but Serbia’s finest still somehow came away with a triple-double, his second straight and 14th on the season, second only to the triple-double god himself, Russell Westbrook (22).

He may be sitting behind the Brodie in triple-double rankings, but the Joker is second to none in the MVP table right now. As of April 8th, Jokic was the big-time -157 odds favorite to be this year’s Most Valuable Player, with Joel Embiid sitting in second at +380 odds, according to SportsBettingDime.com.

Jokic has a very realistic chance of winning the NBA’s top individual prize considering he has played in every single one of Denver’s 53 games while the rest of the top candidates have missed extended time: Embiid is back now but has already missed 18 games, LeBron James has missed a dozen games and counting, Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed eight and remains out, and James Harden has missed four of Brooklyn’s past five and seven total.

The best ability is availability, and no one can compete with Jokic in that respect, but his other abilities are pretty darn impressive as well. The Joker won the Western Conference Player of the Month in both January and March, becoming the first Nugget to ever do it twice in a season. Jokic can toss a dime with the best of them, but it turns out he’s a master mountain climber too.

His torrid pace has not slowed in April as he scaled to the peak of our inaugural Mount Evans weekly recap without issue. Jokic had another ho-hum week by his standards, putting up 23.8 points, 11.5 dimes, and 10.0 rebounds per game on 59 percent shooting from the floor over the past seven days.

Will Jokic remain on Mount Evans’ peak next week, or will someone like MPJ dethrone him? Will Murray’s knee bounce back? Will we ever live down that 31-3 run? Tune in to the Denver Nuggets this week and check back every Monday to see who’s performance saw them scale to the mountaintop!

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