Nikola Jokić erupts for 40 points as Denver Nuggets take 3-2 series lead over Minnesota Timberwolves

(CNN) —& Newly crowned three-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP)& Nikola Jokić& put on a show and proved why he is the rightful recipient of the award in the& Denver Nuggets’ 112-97 playoff victory over the& Minnesota Timberwolves& on Tuesday. The Serbian big man, who received his third MVP trophy ahead of the game, registered 40 points, 13 assists – with zero turnovers – and seven rebounds to lift Denver to a 3-2 series lead, its first in this Western Conference semifinal. Jokić’s dissection of Minnesota is all the more impressive given it was against the NBA’s best defense and the league’s newly crowned four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert. So good was Jokić’s performance that teammates and opponents alike were lavishing him with praise after the game. Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon called Jokić’s performance “incredible.” “He played amazing,” he told reporters, per& ESPN. “The three-time MVP just dominated the entire game, in every aspect of it. Astounding. That was ridiculous.” Minnesota’s rising superstar Anthony Edwards said he “didn’t see any weaknesses” in the team’s defense, but Jokić “showed that he’s the MVP.” “I just laugh,” Edwards said. “That’s all I can do. I can’t be mad, because...