The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić shows what the MVP looks like in the Game 2 win over the Suns

DENVER – Even if the Denver Nuggets pull off a beautiful offense, even if Jamal Murray is all around Nikola Jokic with a combination of shooters, cutters and action, we all knew that at some point in the playoffs Monday night would happen.

We knew there was going to be a team out there that would force Murray into a tough shooting night. We knew there would be a team running into the movie room, doing their homework and coming back with adjustments that would caulk the paint and remove the spacing. We knew there was going to be a team out there that would slow the Nuggets to a crawl, control the speed, and turn the game into a cool rockstar fight.

We knew if the Nuggets had been around in the postseason long enough, the game would have been resting on Jokić’s shoulders.

About an hour after Denver defeated the Phoenix Suns 97-87 before a sold-out crowd, Jokic was asked about his sponsorship level for the NBA MVP announcement Tuesday night, as he reached the Final to win his third in a row but fell short to win that third in a row because of Joel Embiid of Philadelphia.

“Zero,” said Jokic.

None of them thought Jokic would be battled by his coaches, teammates and fans, as long as he plays like he did Monday night. In defeating the Suns to take a 2-0 series lead, the Nuggets’ Game 2 was nothing like Saturday Night’s Game 1.

The Nuggets turned Game 1 into a track meet, pulling late in the first half and pulling off a lopsided win. The Suns turned Game 2 into a run for the Turtles, snapping the Nuggets off their offense, and knocking Murray out of the game after hitting 34 in Game 1 and leading by seven points late in the third quarter. The Nuggets were able to get any shot they wanted in the first game. The Suns played Game 2 as perfectly defensively as you could ask against a team like Denver.

It was a game that went a little way off script for the Nuggets. It was a game that needed saving. Jokic concluded.

He scored a game-high 39 points, scored 16 rebounds, and had five assists. It was the second career playoff game in which he scored at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. On a night when Murray couldn’t hit the water off a boat, when Michael Porter Jr.’s jumper deserted him and when the Nuggets went 7-of-27 from 3-point range, Jokić had to hold Denver offensively. He needed one of those “I am him” shows, and he obliged.

“It was amazing,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “Nikola is the best player for a reason. He can beat you in many ways. Tonight, he was able to take over the game from a scoring standpoint. I like the aggressive Nikola Jokic.”

Jokic looks a lot like LeBron James. If you’re a opposing team, the best way to contain it, ironically, is to force it to score a lot of points. Like James, Jokic is such a great passer and playmaker that he’s able to field his teammates, turn them into scorers, and suddenly if you’re defensive, you have to defend against five instead of one. Jokić wasn’t usually someone who wanted to shoot twice as much as anyone on the list. You almost have to convince him to be that aggressive.

Phoenix knew that. In the first game on Saturday, Jokić saw Murray’s hot hand, fade into the background and fill in the blanks offensively. He found a breaker across the corridor. Play pick and roll with his teammates. Execute evasive deliveries. What it does not do is isolate. He read where double teams came from, found open men and let his teammates do the work.

Monday night, the Suns took on their teammates. They let his main defenders, Deender Ayton and Bismack Biombo, mount against him without any help from a weak or strong side. They were content to leave Joki on an island and let him try to score constantly.

The strategy almost worked.

It didn’t happen because Jokić found out about the cover-up and went to work against Ayton and Biyombo. It didn’t work because, even though the Nuggets scored a playoff-low 97 points, their defense was stellar, holding Phoenix to 14 points in the fourth quarter, while their combination of tough, versatile, and athletic wingers shut off Kevin Durant’s water when it mattered. And making life miserable for Devin Booker in the long run. It didn’t work out, in fairness, because Chris Paul’s groin injury in the second half ruled out a Suns third playmaker to supplement Booker and Durant, and extra use took both of his legs in the fourth quarter. And it didn’t work because Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit three giant three-pointers, all on possessions when the Nuggets were desperate for a basket.

Tuesday’s MVP announcement may or may not be going Joki’s way. Talking about it, he said he plans to use the day off Tuesday to do some sunbathing by the pool. But when the Nuggets needed him to play like an MVP, which is part of how the team wins a title, he stepped up and did it against a playoff defense. The 30 shots he took on Monday night marked the high point of the season for him. He did it in 41 minutes, using the hour between the final bell and his media availability to soak his feet in an ice bucket and relax.

“I didn’t plan to go out and take many shots,” Jokic said. “And it simply ended. My favorite play was to knock Kentavius ​​into the corner. He hit a lot of big shots for us in the fourth quarter.”

Denver’s versatility on both ends of the floor was a revelation this postseason. In Game 2, winning a game that was usually different from the type of game they’re playing bodes well for the Nuggets for the remainder of the series. The Nuggets won a game when Murray shot 3 of 15 from the field. They won a game and scored just 13 points off the bench. They won a game that seemed to be slipping away from them in the third quarter.

But on Monday night, Joki backed up his resume when it mattered. He was the best player on earth so far.

And, dare I say, he delivered an MVP performance.

(Photo: AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)