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James Harden Dubs Nikola Jokic Best NBA Player in the World Ahead of Playoff Matchup
The No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers will begin their first-round playoff series vs. the No. 4 Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon, and L.A.'s James Harden is under no illusions about what he's up against.
The Nuggets as a whole are, of course, a formidable squad, but Harden is preparing to face off against superstar Denver center Nikola Jokic, in particular. The Joker just finished another stunning run—he averaged a triple-double for the regular season—and Harden and the Clippers know the path to the Finals runs through him, as evidenced by comments the guard made to reporter Rachel Nichols.
Asked Friday how the team plans to win against Denver, Harden said, "Our defense has to be on point. Obviously, we know we're dealing with Joker. He's the engine to the entire team."
Then asked if Jokic is the best player in the world, Harden confidently answered "Yeah" three times, with no hesitation.
"Obviously, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], I think we all think he deserves MVP just because of their [Oklahoma City Thunder's] record and what he's been able to do scoring-wise," Harden went on. "But talking about overall player and how impactful he is in the game, of course [that's Jokic]."
Watch that answer below:
The 30-year-old Jokic averaged a whopping 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists over the 2024-25 regular season, becoming just the third NBA player to average a triple-double for the full year. He is the beating heart of the Nuggets, even stepping in to draw up some plays after the team fired head coach Michael Malone, and will no doubt prove an intimidating obstacle in the Clippers' quest for a title.
The battle officially begins Saturday, April 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.