Nikola Jokić Turns Christmas Day Into an MVP Statement Game
So, let’s talk about what just happened on Christmas Day, because what Nikola Jokić pulled off feels almost unreal, even by his own ridiculous standards. In the middle of the NBA’s biggest regular-season spotlight, with the whole basketball world watching, Jokić delivered a performance that instantly stamped itself into history and locked him firmly at No. 1 on the Kia MVP Ladder.
The numbers alone sound like something out of a video game. Fifty-six points. Sixteen rebounds. Fifteen assists. Add in a couple of blocks, four three-pointers, and 43 exhausting minutes in an overtime win, and you start wondering how we’re supposed to process this logically. It was the first 55-plus, 15-plus, 15-plus game the league has ever seen, and it was done against Rudy Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, no less. And yes, all of this happened on Christmas Day, when the NBA puts its biggest stars on center stage.
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What makes it even more absurd is the context. The Nuggets were short-handed, missing three crucial starters, which meant the burden was placed squarely on Jokić’s shoulders. That burden wasn’t just carried, it was completely owned. The Timberwolves, a team that has been to the Western Conference Finals two years in a row, simply had no answers. Efficient shooting, near-perfect work at the free-throw line, and total command of the game from start to finish were all on display.
And here’s the thing: as shocking as those stats look, the performance itself wasn’t all that surprising. This is what Jokić does. Night after night, season after season, greatness is quietly delivered. It has almost become routine, which might be the biggest compliment you can give him. Anyone else puts up a line like that, and it becomes a once-in-a-lifetime moment. For Jokić, it somehow feels like just another night at the office.
What stands out is that he’s not even a scorer by nature. He’d much rather pass, rebound, and make the right basketball play. But with the Nuggets depleted, it was clear that more scoring had to be taken on, and it was done without forcing the game or chasing numbers. Even in other moments this season, when a shot wasn’t taken and a teammate was trusted instead, the right play was still made.
With four months still left before MVP voting, anything can happen. Injuries, slumps, surprises — it’s the NBA, after all. But right now, there’s a clear picture. There’s Nikola Jokić at the top, then a noticeable gap, and then everyone else. After Christmas Day, the message to the rest of the league feels pretty clear: the West was already on alert, and now it’s fully awake.
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