The play of three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who has recorded three double doubles in the first six games of the Denver Nuggets’ first-round Western Conference series against the Los Angeles Clippers, could very well determine the outcome of Saturday night’s Game 7 at Ball Arena in downtown Denver.

Nikola Jokic had 42 points and 22 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to give the Nuggets a stunning 121-119 comeback win over the top-seeded Thunder on Monday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Gordon has two game winners in the 2025 playoffs. While the common perception is that Nikola Jokic is the best player on the Nuggets, the three-time MVP believes Gordon is the "soul" of the group. “He is the soul of this team,