Nikola Jokić speaks to the media at the Nuggets’ media day.
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DENVER — Nikola Jokić considers the Denver Nuggets a dark horse in the race for an NBA title.
Technically speaking, of course, they’re not. Far from it, even.
The Nuggets are only slightly behind the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder as a favorite to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season. One thing’s for sure: There’s plenty of horsepower in the Northwest Division, with Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves a strong contender, too. Portland and Utah are up-and-comers with youthful lineups.
“They are definitely the hunted one and they’re playing good,” Jokić said of the Thunder. “Hopefully we can be the — how do you say it? The silent knight? Silent horse? Dark horse.”
In the league’s annual preseason polling of general managers, three of the top four seeds in the West are expected to come out of the Northwest (the Houston Rockets were the exception, as the third seed). All paths to the NBA title, though, lead through Oklahoma City, where Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates aren’t ready to hand over anything.
“It would suck to lose the NBA championship in 2026,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s the new focus. That’s the new goal. … Hopefully we look up and we’ve accomplished the same thing we just accomplished.”
One of the summer’s highlights for Gilgeous-Alexander was taking the NBA trophy back home to Hamilton, Ontario, where he received the key to the city.
“I couldn’t imagine as a kid the Larry O’Brien coming to Hamilton,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who was voted the NBA Finals MVP after the Thunder beat Indiana in a thrilling series that went seven games. “It was special.”