Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets produced an astonishing game in a losing effort against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

In a game that the Nuggets lost by 17 points, Jokic was utterly dominant – logging 43 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals in 38 minutes for Denver.

Those 43 points represented a new career-high, as well as Nuggets franchise record – besting the previous high of 42 set by Alex English and Carmelo Anthony.

Jokic is widely regarded as the greatest passing big man of all time, and indeed Big Honey can dime up guys with the best of them. Jokic is also a darling of the advanced metrics, as his all-around impact helps buoy his statistical profile despite a less-than-athletic physical profile.

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Michael Malone, the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, believes that Jokic deserves to be in the MVP discussion after his 43-point masterclass:

Indeed, Jokic is certainly a deserving MVP candidate, though it seems unlikely that he will be able to eke into even the top 3 in this year’s loaded field. The presumptive choice is Giannis Antetokounmpo after a sterling campaign with the Milwaukee Bucks in which the team won 60 games.

Still though, Jokic’s dazzling offensive skills deserve a second thought in the race, so Malone is definitely right on that front.