But it was Jokic who refused to let his team lose.<\/a> He let everyone know it, and the Thunder, whose late-game fouling strategy backfired<\/a>, will be hearing it about until Wednesday\u2019s tip-off.<\/p>\n We have witnessed Monday\u2019s brilliance from Jokic before, though this performance came with an accompanying historical footnote: He became the first player since Shaquille O\u2019Neal in 2000 with 40-plus points and 22-plus rebounds in a playoff game. <\/p>\n But we have never seen this side of him.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all coming out, the wisdom, the anger, the frustration. He is directing teammates during timeouts, on switches, through picks, during inbounds plays.<\/p>\n He is becoming a maestro with his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have shown resiliency since what happened with three games to go in the season. Nikola has been extremely vocal since that,\u201d backup center DeAndre Jordan explained outside the locker room about Jokic\u2019s evolution since the firing of coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows he has to step it up more with his voice. His play speaks for itself. But his leadership has grown stronger. He hardly ever (bleeping) talked. So when he does now, guys listen and are engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n Jokic\u2019s methodical play looked heavy at times Monday night, the burden of carrying the team for long stretches weighing him down. But he would not let the Nuggets become untethered, even as he fought his temper.<\/p>\n He made a strong case for an ejection, nearly executing a heel turn the likes we haven\u2019t seen since Hollywood Hogan. With 6:24 remaining in the third, Jokic ran down the court flanked by Chet Holmgren. He shoved OKC\u2019s big man. And when Holmgren hooked his elbow, Jokic responded with a forearm shiver that conjured images of his blasting of Miami\u2019s Markieff Morris a few years ago.<\/p>\n A review kept it as a common foul. That ruling grew in significance after Jokic elbowed Lu Dort in the head. It was upgraded to a flagrant 1, so if the previous infraction had been labeled as such, Jokic would have been tossed.<\/p>\n Instead, he kept playing at his pace, ignoring voters who will name Gilgeous-Alexander MVP this month and responding to surly fans chanting \u201cfree throw merchant\u201d as he sank 10 of 13 from the charity stripe.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I didn\u2019t hear that,\u201d said Jokic of the derisive critique previously directed at Gilgeous-Alexander this season. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of funny.\u201d<\/p>\n Not long after his bump-and-run with Holmgren, the Nuggets trailed by 14 points. When he sharpened a No. 2 pencil on Dort\u2019s skull, the Nuggets sat 13 back with 6:39 left.<\/p>\n There was no way they were winning this game. OKC was 56-5 when leading at halftime this season. They held a nine-point lead with 3 minutes remaining.<\/p>\n Jokic, though, was tireless, inevitable. His energy drink, available in the metro area, includes guarana extract, taurine, caffeine and, apparently, venom. He scored 11 of the Nuggets\u2019 final 17 points, besting Gilgeous-Alexander 18-13 in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n Jokic exerted his will. Yet he never lost his way as he lost his mind over questionable calls. Boos cascaded down as he complained, accompanied by interim coach David Adelman\u2019s symphony of seething at the refs. Jokic\u2019s face reddened, but his pulse did not race.<\/p>\n \u201cI played in Serbia in small gyms with 30 people, and you could hear everything they said. Sometimes I think that\u2019s worse because you can see the guy who\u2019s yelling at you,\u201d Jokic said. \u201cAnd I have played in front of a lot of people with the national team in other countries. I don\u2019t want to say I don\u2019t get distracted. \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n But he doesn\u2019t. It is a rare skill, the ability to bring water to a boil without any drops escaping over the edge of the pot. His teammates see it. And now, his passion and edge have a soundtrack.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s him. I think that\u2019s who he wants to be,\u201d guard Christian Braun said. \u201cObviously, he has the best mind in basketball, maybe ever. When he is yelling things a lot of times, it is hard to understand. But when he\u2019s telling us something, it\u2019s not motivational. It\u2019s, \u2018We need to do this, we need to guard this way.\u2019 Most of it is defensive stuff, not offense, and people don\u2019t realize that. He\u2019s the guy who just wants to win so badly.\u201d<\/p>\n Afterward, Jokic dismissed stealing home court from the Thunder in the opener on a single day\u2019s rest. No big deal. It was one game. And it was a game of runs. It was about the team sticking together, and Gordon sinking his second game-winner this postseason.<\/p>\n No chance he gets off that easily.<\/p>\n Monday was a statement of Jokic\u2019s greatness. And we heard it above the 115-decibel crowd noise. Loud and clear.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is the best player in the world,\u201d guard Russell Westbrook said. \u201cPlain and simple.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Nikola](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/TDP-L-NUGGETS-THUNDERAO2_7066x.jpg\")
Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets defends an inbound pass by Alex Caruso (9) of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets\u2019 121-119 win at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Monday, May 5, 2025. The Nuggets took a 1-0 Western Conference semifinal lead with their win. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n