On a bingo board of phrases a team might use to evaluate a 137-point showing, “ugly win” likely wouldn’t make the cut. Especially if one took into account the types of passes that the all-seeing Nikola Jokić delivered to cutters across the Philadelphia 76ers’ floor on January 31, 2025. Unquestioned already in regards to his Most Valuable Player credentials, the Denver Nuggets’ superstar lived up to basketball’s great three-word distinction once more, punishing Philadelphia’s any and every thought to overhelp. First came an over-the-shoulder, no-look room service dime to his longtime running mate to set up a score, followed by a one-handed skip pass, guiding a different teammate’s path shortly thereafter. Equally sensational when toggling into must-score mode, Jokić put an offensive heatwave on sizzle in the final period, using a 13-point, two-triple final quarter to help Denver survive a high-scoring fireworks show down the stretch. Mile High’s newly-named seven-time All-Star was in his usual Hall of Fame-bound form, as the scoreboard confirmed through 28 points (on 11-of-16 shooting), joined by nine rebounds, 13 assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers. · Feb 1, 2025