Nikola Jokić Thrills NBA Fans as Nuggets Take Series Lead vs. Anthony Edwards, Wolves

Nikola Jokić received his MVP on Tuesday and then reminded everyone why he won it.

The Denver Nuggets big man led his team to a 112-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series at Ball Arena. Denver now leads the series 3-2 following its third straight win, which Jokić spearheaded with 40 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one block.

While it seemed like a one-man show for extended stretches, Aaron Gordon (18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (16 points, five rebounds and four assists) also played well in supporting roles.

Denver's defense also held Anthony Edwards to just 5-of-15 shooting from the field and made him work for his 18 points and nine assists. Karl-Anthony Towns did what he could for a Minnesota team playing without Mike Conley (Achilles) with 23 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, but it wasn't enough to counter Jokić.

And social media recognized it was Jokić who made the difference:

The task was fairly straightforward for the Nuggets on Tuesday: become the first home team to win a game in this series and maintain their momentum they built from two straight wins with their backs against the wall in Minnesota.

Jokić was up for the task out of the gates.

The three-time MVP controlled the entire first half while staking his side to a six-point lead at intermission even while Jamal Murray struggled. Jokić mixed in a three-pointer, unstoppable moves on the block and perfectly placed passes all while he was seemingly unbothered by the size and physicality of Rudy Gobert and Towns.

It was fair to be concerned from Denver's perspective that it didn't open a bigger lead during Edwards' ice-cold start, especially after the Timberwolves took the lead early in the third quarter.

But Jokić made sure there wasn't much reason for concern.

He started toying with Gobert and the Timberwolves as he unleashed no-look passes, unreal footwork in the post and complete control of the game as everything ran through him. Gobert may be a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, but Jokić made him look like a traffic cone over and over as the Nuggets opened up a double-digit lead going into the fourth.

Just for good measure, he ended any chance at a Minnesota comeback with a step-back three over the outstretched arm of Gobert in the final minutes. It only added insult to injury for the Timberwolves and further drove home the reality they couldn't stop him.

They will need to figure out a way to at least slow him down if they want to preserve their season when the series returns to Minnesota for Thursday's Game 6.