The nonchalant manner by which Nikola Jokic goes about his business often undermines the spectacular things that he does on the court, but once in a while, he does a thing or two that even he has to cheer about.

The Denver Nuggets’ most recent win over the Golden State Warriors birthed one of these iconic moments as Jokic hit a 39-foot three-pointer right before the final buzzer to steal a 130-127 win at the Chase Center.

Jokic’s improbable shot capped off a late Denver rally that saw them overcome an 18-point Golden State lead with 7:28 remaining in the fourth quarter. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player finished the game with 34 points, two three-pointers, nine rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, and one block which is a statline that would have garnered more attention had it been any other player who put up these numbers. 

The 6’11 Serbian has set such a high bar for himself over these past few years that his recent streak of near-immaculate field goal shooting has flown under the radar. Over the Nuggets’ last four games, Jokic has made an other-worldy 39 of 44 field goal attempts which translates into 88.6% field goal shooting. He kicked off this run with an 11-of-11 evening in their win over the Memphis Grizzlies last week and has continued to shoot the lights out in the three games since. 

On the season, Jokic’s averages are up to 25.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 9.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Though these numbers are notably lower than his two NBA Most Valuable Player campaigns in ‘20-’21 and ‘21-’22, they are nonetheless impressive in their own right and this has him among the favorites to win the award again this season. 

Like their star player, this Denver team has gone rather unnoticed this year as well despite winning the NBA title last June. Injuries to Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon have slowed their progress during this first half of the season, yet the Nuggets have gradually gained momentum in recent weeks. They have won eight of their last nine outings to improve their record to 25-11 and are now only a half game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the West’s top seed. 

The consistency that Jokic brings has kept this team afloat and with health now on their side, it seems like it is only a matter of time before they go on some kind of dominant run that reaffirms their place as the title favorites this year. 

This team has been pushed to the side in the mainstream discourse over the past few months with the rise of the Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder in the West. However, performances like this from Jokic serve as a reminder that the road to the NBA title still goes through the Mile High City.