Jokic Falls Short for Clutch Player Award but Sets Sights on MVP Glory

After being selected as one of the finalists for the Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year award, Nikola Jokic secured the second position in the voting results, which were revealed on Wednesday.

Jalen Brunson emerged as the winner, accumulating a total of 426 points, which included 70 first-place votes from a global panel of 100 media representatives.

The Serbian star of the Denver Nuggets garnered 312 points, thanks to 26 first-place votes, along with 58 second-place votes and eight third-place votes.

Brunson, a 28-year-old guard from the New York Knicks, will be honored with the Jerry West Trophy for being the Clutch Player of the 2024-25 Regular Season. He led the league in clutch scoring, averaging 5.6 points in critical moments where the score is within five points during the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. He amassed 156 points, completing 52 field goals and delivering 28 assists.

The former Villanova player is the third recipient of this award, following Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in the 2023-24 season and De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings in 2022-23.

Jokic is also in contention for the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player award. The three-time MVP has recently been named one of the three finalists, alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

As the 2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google continue, Jokic is gearing up for Game 3 of a best-of-seven series in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The series is currently tied at 1-1 with the Los Angeles Clippers after two games in Denver, with the next matchup scheduled for Thursday at the Intuit Dome.

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