Two of the best players in the NBA faced off Friday when Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks took on Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets. In their first game of the in-season NBA tournament, the Nuggets defeated the Mavericks 125-114.

Following the win, Jokic gave a savage response as to what he likes about Doncic's game. “That I can beat him and make fun of him,” via HP Basketball.

The comments are of course a joke as the two Balkan natives have become close friends over the years, including attending each other's birthday parties and special events.

The win for Jokic even his record to 7-7 when playing head-to-head versus Doncic. The Nuggets have picked up right where they left off last season during their NBA championship run, starting the year 6-1. So far on the year, Jokic has averaged 27.3 points, 12.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.

On the other side, the loss dropped the Mavericks to 4-2. Doncic put up 34 points along with 10 rebounds and eight assists in the loss. On the season, he's averaged 33.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 9.6 assists per game. Dallas is also looking to rebound this season after missing the playoffs entirely in 2023.

Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic will face off two more times this season on December 18th and March 17th. If all goes to plan, the two should be battling not just on the court, but for the MVP award and playoff seeding. For now, the Mavericks get set to host the Charlotte Hornets while the Nuggets will host their second straight game versus the Chicago Bulls.