Colorado loves Nikola Jokic.
Ryan Johansen was having an elite night for the Colorado Avalanche but he was not the hometown hero most people had eyes on at the start. Nikola Jokic decided to support his local NHL team who were going up against the Vancouver Canucks. His presence helped out a lot as the squad pulled off the win with a 3-1 scoreline. Then, everyone’s attention went back to The Joker.
Nikola Jokic saw Ball Arena erupt when they started chanting MVP for him. The crowd showered him with well-deserved praise while he was in full Avalanche gear, via Hockey Daily 365.
The Avalanche did not want to disappoint their Nuggets superstar in the stands. Ryan Johansen came out blazing and inspired. He finally got out of his scoring drought and notched two goals for the team. Alexander Georgiev, on the other hand, prevented the Canucks from gaining any momentum. He stopped 24 shots. Artturi Lehkonen was the one who sent the opposing team packing with a goal in the dying seconds of the game.
All of which might have inspired the Nuggets big man to spark a run to get his team back atop the Western Conference standings. The Avalanche are also doing the same. They are on a two-win streak and are only behind the Dallas Stars in the Central Division.
Three MVPs for the Nuggets?
Now that Joel Embiid went down due to an injury, the Most Valuable Player award race got interesting. Shai Gilegous-Alexander and Jokic became the two most prominent names that were likely to win it. The Oklahoma City Thunder currently sit second in the west with 37 wins. They also entered the NBA All-Star break with six wins and four losses. Throughout all of this, SGA is averaging 31.1 points on a crazily efficient 54.6% clip from all three levels of scoring. He also drops 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Jokic is thriving by being an all-around player for the Nuggets. He has fewer points by averaging 26.1 a game but shoots more efficiently with a 57.7% field goal percentage. He notches 8.9 dimes and grabs 12 boards as well. All of this helps the Nuggets stay competitive despite only getting five wins in their last 10 games. This team is only three games behind and Jokic might just seal the trophy if they get into a hot streak.
Source link