Nikola Jokić lived up to his nickname on Friday, arriving at the Ball Arena wearing a Joker-inspired purple and green suit before helping the Denver Nuggets to a dramatic, overtime 113-104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of their playoff series.

For most of the Nikola Jokić era, the Nuggets' path to success hinged on the three-time MVP putting up near-historic numbers on a nightly basis. He averages near a triple-double most seasons, not only because he's absurdly talented,

In addition to his game-saving defensive plays in the series’ first two contests, Bridges has made up for offensive struggles with averages of 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals while playing a whopping 44.0 minutes per game.

If the Thunder get eliminated in the conference semifinals, they may have to make a dramatic change this offseason.

The story of this era of Denver Nuggets basketball is the story of Nikola Jokić bailing out underwhelming rosters. Their net rating drops by a million points whenever Jokić goes to the bench. They lose playoff games and series when his supporting cast can't lift him up.

The shock dismissal of Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone in early April has led to a change in “energy” around the team, Serbian superstar Nikola Jokić admitted after a 120-101 Game 7 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.