Maybe he was just being respectful, but the best player in the NBA said the Boston Celtics are still the best team in the NBA.

Minutes after putting up yet another triple-double in the Denver Nuggets’ 115-109 victory over the Celtics on Thursday, March 7, Nikola Jokic said Boston is still the best team in the NBA. Record-wise, he’s not wrong. Jokic elaborated and explained why he felt that way.

Nikola Jokic Has High Praise for the Boston Celtics

The Nuggets completed the season sweep of the Celtics as Jokic went for 32 points 12, rebounds, and 11 assists in the victory. Denver improved to 43-20 and remains one game out of first place in the Western Conference. The loss was the second straight for the Celtics, who still have the NBA’s best mark at 48-14.

The win was the second straight over the Celtics for the defending champion Nuggets. Earlier this season Denver became the first team this season to knock off the Celtics at TD Garden, winning 102-100. Boston had opened the season with a record-setting 20 straight victories at home.

Despite beating the Celtics in both games this year, Jokic still said the Celtics are the best team in the league.

“They are a really good team,” Jokic said postgame. “They have basically an answer for everything, matchup-wise, defense-wise, offense-wise.

“They are really a well-built team, and they’re playing really good, you know. That’s why they are the best team in the NBA right now. It’s really hard to play against that team. They’re long, tall. They defend really good. They have really smart players. It’s a great team.”

The Celtics Had No Answer for Jokic

Jokic was a significant problem for the Celtics, but that’s nothing new. He’s been a problem for the entire NBA the last few seasons. He’s the frontrunner for MVP this year, which would be his third in the last four seasons. In the first Celtics/Nuggets meeting this season, Jokic finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.

On Thursday, he came as advertised.

“He’s just an incredible basketball player,” Porzingis said of Jokic. “Some things I learned from him today actually. He’s just so smart, so crafty. There’s so many things that you don’t see that he does on the floor that helps that team win. It’s incredible.

“Whenever you overhelp just a little bit, he will find (Aaron) Gordon and all these guys. It just speaks of how valuable he is for them and what he does for them. Really, really, really hard to stop.”

The Celtics/Nuggets matchup also came as advertised. Many fans believe it’s a preview of the 2024 NBA Finals. The Celtics hung tough throughout despite below-average play from Jayson Tatum.

Tatum finished with 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting. He missed a wide-open corner 3-pointer with 45 seconds left that would’ve given Boston a one-point lead. The Celtics also hurt themselves from the free-throw line, shooting 16-for-25. Jaylen Brown, who led the Celtics with 41 points, missed half of his 14 free-throw attempts.

Boston looks to snap its two-game losing streak on Saturday at the Phoenix Suns.