Nikola Jokic sets historic season mark but fellow NBA stars believe MVP award is going to Western Conference rival

Nikola Jokic continues to achieve heights many dream of.

The NBA’s regular season wrapped up on Sunday, with the Denver Nuggets defeating the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 128-118.

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The win was the Nuggets’ 12th in a row, as they clinched the third-seed in the Western Conference, and will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series either April 18 or 19.

There were concerns heading into the game over Jokic’s availability, as he missed the game before against the Oklahoma City Thunder managing a right-wrist injury.

The 31-year-old was just one game away from qualifying for the postseason award contention.

On Sunday, one of the greatest players in basketball played the necessary minutes required, and made a statement while doing so.

It was a first half for the ages, scoring 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds while on the court, and his performance resulted in a piece of NBA history being broken.

“Nikola Jokic is the FIRST player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds (12.9) and assists (10.7) per game, while averaging 28.0 PPG on 67% TS.” According to The NBA Base.

Jokic did this despite missing 16 games this season with a knee injury he suffered in December’s loss to the Miami Heat.

While backtracking to defend a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jokic appeared to have his left foot stepped on by teammate Spencer Jones, causing his knee to buckle.

He collapsed to the floor in obvious pain, clutching his knee, before being helped off the court with a pronounced limp.

Despite the absence, Jokic averaged 27.8 points per game and has firmly cemented himself as an MVP favorite.

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Denver’s win also meant the Los Angeles Lakers claimed the fourth seed in the western conference.

Lakers star Luka Doncic is dealing with something similar to Jokic, a knee injury has forced him to miss the rest of the regular season, but his agent is expected to appeal the league’s 65-game rule.

NBA players have their say on MVP winner

Up until the 1980-81 season, the NBA’s MVP award used to be decided by the players.

Julis Erving became the first player to win the award when it was not decided by his fellow players.

The Athletic have polled 161 players and the results have revealed a highly-contested MVP race.

According to the players, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be the winner of the award, racking up 39% of the votes.

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Jokic received 21.4% of the votes, and Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham and Doncic are tied in third-place with 8.2% of the votes.

Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the league in scoring (31.1 points per game), behind Doncic who leads the way with 35.5 points.

If the players’ polls are any indication, then the 27-year-old Thunder star is on his way to a second straight Michael Jordan trophy.

But, all will be revealed when a panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the league cast their official ballots after the conclusion of the regular season.

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