Nikola Jokic, the three-time MVP, made every play down the stretch, erasing the Warriors’ eight-point deficit and finishing with 38 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals. With 34 seconds left, he blocked Kuminga’s slashing attempt at the rim and then worked his way to the line for the game-sealing foul shots.

Almost every Nuggets game is following the same exhausting blueprint, up to a point. Questionable sums of engagement put toward defending in the first half. A teaspoon of Nikola Jokic rest minutes that cause an upset stomach,