Jokić played the entire second half as Denver rode it stars. But fatigue was evident as OKC rallied for the pivotal Game 5 win.

One player that will likely be staying in Denver during the offseason is Nikola Jokic, who put together arguably the best season of his career. Because of this, Jokic was a finalist for the 2024-25 Kia NBA MVP award which was announced on Wednesday night ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Thunder show poise in crunch time, Lu Dort delivers at both ends and Oklahoma City moves a step closer to the West Finals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated the Denver Nuggets from the NBA Playoffs on Sunday with a 125-93 win at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The big picture: Oklahoma City secured a 4-3 series win against the Nuggets and will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.

Nikola Jokić lived up to his nickname on Friday, arriving at the Ball Arena wearing a Joker-inspired purple and green suit before helping the Denver Nuggets to a dramatic, overtime 113-104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of their playoff series.

Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets are up 2-1 in their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Many thought the Thunder would run through the Western Conference, but the 2023 NBA Champions have had different plans.

Former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who the franchise fired days before the 2025 NBA playoffs opened, raised eyebrows when he stumped for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Nikola Jokić for the NBA MVP award.

By finishing second in this year’s Kia NBA MVP balloting behind only Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić became just the third player in NBA history with a top-two finish in five or more consecutive seasons. He won the award in 2021, 2023 and 2024, plus was second in 2022 and again this year.

Is it possible these are the two best teams left in the NBA playoffs? When making an Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets prediction, you have to factor in everything we’ve seen through five games and be ready to take a bold stand.