Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is as tough of a cover as there is in the NBA. There simply isn't a way to slow him down completely. Load up on him, and he finds an open shooter across the court. Leave him one on one and he feasts in the post. However, on Tuesday night, Victor Wembanyama made Jokic work as hard as possible for his buckets, with the San Antonio Spurs rookie tallying four of his nine blocks on the night against the reigning Finals MVP.

Sure, Jokic still finished with 42 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists on the night in a 110-105 victory for the Nuggets. That's what the arguable best player of the league does regardless of defensive coverage. But the Joker couldn't help but be impressed with Wembanyama's impact on the defensive end that he joked with the Spurs rookie that he was going to come up with a retaliatory act if he got rejected one more time — only for him to get swatted over and over again.

“It was funny. I told him if you block one more shot I'm going to (do) something but he blocked like four after that so I didn't do anything about it,” Jokic said, eliciting plenty of laughter among the reporters present for his postgame presser, via Ball Is Life on Twitter (X).

Rarely does Nikola Jokic ever sense the need to go for a dunk; it's his finesse — his brilliant footwork and masterful touch from every angle — that makes him so tough to stop in the first place. But Victor Wembanyama is a different animal, and the Nuggets star had to defy gravity on that emphatic first-quarter dunk.

Alas, that only seemed to motivate Wembanyama to put up a defensive clinic, giving Jokic plenty of difficulties even if the Nuggets star's output on the box score would say otherwise.

Victor Wembanyama is scary

It's unfathomable how good Victor Wembanyama is despite only recently turning 20 years of age back in January. Not too many centers can keep up with Nikola Jokic, let alone show that he belongs against the best of the best in the position, and that's exactly what the Spurs rookie did despite their loss to the Nuggets.

Sure, box score watchers will point out that Wembanyama missed 20 of his 29 field-goal attempts on the night and that Jokic outplayed him. But isn't that to be expected? The Nuggets star is the cream of the crop at the center position, a matchup-proof offensive dynamo who is an elite offense unto himself, so he'll get his no matter what. But the Spurs rookie made Jokic sweat — with both men relishing the competition they presented to one another.

Victor Wembanyama is only going to get better from here, so the league better watch out.

Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are still in a league of their own

The Nuggets remain the scariest team among the championship contenders in the NBA, and Nikola Jokic is the main reason why. Wembanyama was playing out of his mind defensively, forcing the Nuggets to contort themselves towards freakishly difficult angles just to get off a shot, and yet there Jokic was, dropping a casual 42-bomb on efficient shooting from the field against one of the best defenders in the association.

With the playoffs approaching, Jokic is once again playing his best basketball. Wembanyama might be the scariest player in the NBA moving forward, but the NBA still belongs in the palm of Jokic's hands.