It appears that last night we saw the first signs, according to many NBA analysts, of a major rivalry in the years ahead. The Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets played a playoff-level game in which the visiting team, despite huge injury problems, managed to beat the Rockets.

The final score was 112–109 for the Colorado-based team, and it should be noted that the Nuggets lost Aaron Gordon after just three minutes due to a hamstring strain. Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun went at it in a big battle under the rim, but the student this time did not surpass the master.

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The three-time MVP finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and two blocks on 11-of-20 shooting, while the Turkish center played a below-average game by his standards with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists on 6-of-14 shooting. The feeling fans got that the center battle could be something special was clear even before the game, when Sengun made an interesting statement.

“Jokic, he was [the player I looked up to] when I came to the league. Now I have my own thing, I have my own team. I’m writing my own story,” Sengun told the media after Rockets practice.

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Sengun showed at EuroBasket that he is ready to come out of Jokic’s shadow

It seems like ever since EuroBasket, the story has been that Sengun is finally ready to show the world he’s turning into a full-fledged MVP-level player, someone who can compete with Jokic on any given night.

We also saw that in their group-stage matchup at EuroBasket, which decided the top seed in the group, where Turkey beat the favored Serbia in a thriller. Sengun outplayed Jokic with 28 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists on 10-of-17 shooting, while Jokic finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

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Even then, people close to Sengun were saying that the 6-foot-11 center from Giresun was ready to step out of Jokic’s shadow. Sengun’s teammate then said how the sky is the limit for him after he dominated Jokic.

“So, I think in his younger years, his rookie year, second year, you could call him, you know, Baby Jokic, just because the play styles are very similar. So, I think that nickname, it was suitable for him maybe a couple years ago, but I think he’s much bigger and much better than he was when they originally gave him that nickname right here,” Shane Larkin told reporters.

We could see Denver and Houston square off in the playoffs

Even though the mutual respect between the two basketball superstars is obvious, battles like those at EuroBasket and the one last night in the NBA, along with the media narrative that keeps pushing the “Baby Jokic” nickname, could ignite a spark that is currently only flickering.

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And judging by the high-level games both teams have been playing, not just last night but all season, which is why they’re near the top of the West, it’s very possible we’ll see them in a playoff series. And then we might get confirmation of a rivalry that’s only in its early stages. Alpi still seems far from The Joker, but if he manages to outplay and eliminate his idol in a playoff series, the story would take on an entirely new shape.

Related: Richard Jefferson thinks Nikola Jokic has the same value as Alperen Sengun and KD combined

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.