Kendrick Perkins has seemingly discovered the formula for getting attention: attack one of the most likable superstars using the dullest take imaginable. That's how Perkins executed his argument against Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic's MVP candidacy, as he suggested that the Serbian unicorn is stat-padding.

Living up to his The Joker moniker, Nikola Jokic appear to clap back at Perkins after he posted his 100th career triple-double in Tuesday night's win against the Houston Rockets on the road.

Asked about how significant to him racking up a total of 100 trip-dubs in the NBA is, Nikola Jokic responded by saying “When you're stat padding it's easy, you know,” which was clearly a dig at Perkins.

Against the Rockets, Jokic posted 14 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds. He made seven of his 11 shots from the field while coming up with a game-high plus/minus of plus-31 to lead the Nuggets to a 133-112 victory.

It's not easy to discredit what Nikola Jokic is doing. It's even harder perhaps to reduce what he's been doing all season long as mostly a product of stat-padding. In any case, Jokic is clearly dominating and making basketball look like child's play, while also leading Denver to the top of the Western Conference standings.

Following the win against Houston, Jokic and the Nuggets improved to 44-19, 5.5 games better than their rivals in the West.

The MVP award for this season is clearly becoming one that is for Jokic to lose. If he sustains his current form and secures a triple-double average for the entire 2022-23 NBA season while ensuring the Nuggets have the best record in the West, at least, there's hardly going to be a sensible counterargument why he won't deserve yet another MVP trophy.