The rivalry between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder hit another level on Friday night when Nikola Jokić took exception to a foul committed by Lu Dort in the fourth quarter.

Cunningham is making his MVP case in a major way. He averaged 29 points and 13 assists in a win over the West-leading Thunder and scored 42 in a victory against the Knicks. His ability to impact both ends and nearly hit a triple-double against the Bulls has propelled him into the top three.

Nikola Jokić sat down with Malika Andrews over the All-Star break to talk about how he really does like playing basketball. The three-time MVP was under scrutiny during All-Star weekend with Kevin Durant specifically calling out Jokić and Luka Dončić for how they don't treat the game seriously.

Ben Lambert, for NBA.com Nikola Jokić led the Nuggets over the Celtics in the second half of our ESPN doubleheader. FEBRUARY 26 // 12:48 ET Alperen Sengun (26 pts, 13 reb, 11 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk) is your top performer of the night.

Follow along with this Thunder vs Nuggets prediction to see the latest odds and get the best picks and bets for Friday's crucial Western Conference matchup.

It stinks that Nikola Jokić doesn't care about the All-Star Game. But no one will ever change his mind.

Nikola Jokić is playing at an MVP level, but his campaign for the award could be in jeopardy depending on his health.

MVP or All-NBA "by default" doesn't feel like the best way to celebrate elite players in the league. But we'll see what happens.