"As I say all the time, man, very thankful he's in a Nuggets uniform so we're watching greatness every night."

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić is not one for self-promotion. After back-to-back games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are led by fellow Most Valuable Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić kept his comments about the award race succinct.

Jokić was, however, willing to engage in a moment of self-reflection about where he finds himself as he nears the end of his 10th NBA season — which, in his view, is a peak higher than any he’s reached before.