The Nuggets showed out in Indiana, but superstar center Nikola Jokic was on another level. Jokic bolstered his MVP campaign with a historical performance. Jokic finished the game with 18 points, 19 assists,

Nikola Jokic had a career-best 19 assists, while adding 18 points and nine rebounds, Aaron Gordon scored 25 points and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Indiana Pacers 125-116 on Monday night.

There emerged two ways to evaluate the Nuggets’ loss on Saturday: Nikola Jokic’s perspective and the counter-notion that the Lakers just really wanted this one.

The Lakers held Jokic, who entered the weekend leading the NBA in frontcourt touches with 56.6 touches, to 43 frontcourt touches on Saturday. He possessed the ball nearly a third less of the time on Saturday (3.1 minutes) than he did entering the matchup (4.5 minutes) and held the ball for shorter periods when he did have it.

Nikola Jokic was quick to offer a candid assessment of his Denver Nuggets following their humbling 123-100 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Jokic, who was held

After the loss against the Lakers, Nikola Jokic reflected on the nine-game run and didn’t shy away from the truth.

After the Nuggets’ nine-game winning streak came to a halt against the Lakers on Saturday, Nikola Jokic raised some doubts about the legitimacy of the run, suggesting it may have been misleading.