Denver beat Utah 117-106 at Delta Center on Tuesday, and the moment everyone is watching did not involve a basket. Jaxson Hayes shoved Nikola Jokic. Jokic chopped down at him and stared him down. Jokic got the technical.
It was broken up quickly, and it was preseason. It was also the clearest look yet at how teams plan to deal with a three-time MVP who does not get rattled.
The strategy was the provocation
Utah had been bodying Jokic with physical defenders, which is the only approach that has ever produced anything against him. He does not get beaten by quickness or length. He gets inconvenienced by contact, and even that mostly produces free throws.
Jokic played 16 minutes and finished with six points, four rebounds and five assists. Hayes played 14 minutes with seven points, four rebounds and a block. Neither line matters. The exchange is what traveled.
These two teams had also met on October 4, with Utah winning 109-97. Tuesday was Denver’s first preseason win.
Jokic reacting at all is the story
He is the least demonstrative superstar in the league. He shrugs off hard fouls, argues with officials in a monotone, and has spent a decade being described as uninterested in theater.
So when he chops down at an opposing center in a meaningless October game, that is information. Denver’s season starts October 20, and Jokic said at media day he will re-sign with the Nuggets next year “if they want me,” which is its own kind of needling.
He is still a three-time MVP, winning in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and an eight-time All-Star. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2025-26 award, his second.
Who actually played well
Denver’s bench carried it. Julian Strawther had 15 points on 3-of-4 from three with four rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes. Cam Whitmore scored 14 on 6-of-7 from the line in 15 minutes. Cameron Johnson added 10 on 4-of-7 in 15 minutes. Christian Braun went 1-of-4 from three with four rebounds in 14 minutes. The starters and DeMar DeRozan sat the second half.
For Utah, Ace Bailey had 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal in 27 minutes. Svi Mykhailiuk scored nine on 3-of-14 shooting.
Utah was without Lauri Markkanen with neck soreness, Jusuf Nurkic with a foot issue, Brice Sensabaugh with a hip problem and Kyle Filipowski with a back injury. Denver was missing Spencer Jones with a hamstring.
What to take from it
Very little about the standings and something about the temperature. Jokic is engaged in October, Denver’s second unit has shooting, and the Nuggets are heading into a season with their MVP’s long-term future unresolved by his own choice.
Utah is young, physical and willing to be a nuisance. That is a reasonable identity for a team in its position. It also got Hayes shoved back by the best player on the floor, which is roughly the expected outcome of that plan.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.