Nikola Jokic’s mere acknowledgment of a momentous season was an eye-opening development in the MVP race between him and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander is on the hunt for his first MVP and has left no doubt that he belongs in the conversation. After finishing second in voting last year, many felt he should have won due to OKC’s surprising rise to the No. 1 seed in the West. This season, he has only strengthened that argument.

The Denver Nuggets got their revenge game on Monday night, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 140-127 behind yet another explosive effort from Nikola Jokic. Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are in a fierce fight for this season’s MVP and Jokic spoke about that after the game.