"Definitely a Laker next season": Nikola Jokic's passionate outburst at teammates lights up the internet 

The Denver Nuggets had themselves a tough battle against the OKC Thunder on Monday, sending superstar Nikola Jokic to a passionate outburst on the bench early on. It sent fans sharing their varying takes online.

The fiery moment took place midway into the second quarter of the opening game of the Nuggets' second-round playoff clash versus the Thunder, and the team trailing 46-39. "The Joker" could be seen barking hard instructions to his teammates.

Fans soon started sharing their reactions to the clip on X/Twitter:

"Definitely a Laker next season," one fan said.

"16/12/2 0 help I don’t Blame him," another fan pointed out.

"When Joker talks you listen," one comment highlighted.

"Maybe they shouldn’t have fired their coach a week before the season ended," a fan wrote.

"And people say he doesn’t care about basketball. MF is a basketball genius," one fan added.

"The most I’ve ever seen him talk," one fan said.

"I love it," another fan wrote.

Jokic's outburst seemingly worked, as the Nuggets continued to fight hard the rest of the game and pulled the rug from under the Thunder for a thrilling 121-119 victory on an Aaron Gordon game-winning triple.

Nikola Jokic and Nuggets show grit to take Game 1

Nikola Jokic was once again his all-around self, and it did wonders to tow the Denver Nuggets to a gutsy win over the OKC Thunder in Game 1 of their second-round Western Conference playoff series on Monday.

The three-time league MVP had 42 points, 22 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal in 43 minutes to frustrate the Thunder on their way to the 121-119 victory.

Both teams had it close through the opening quarter, fighting to a 27-26 count, with the Thunder narrowly ahead. OKC, however, outscored Denver, 33-21, to take a 10-point cushion, 60-50, at the break.

In the second half, the Thunder continued to keep a safe distance, until Nikola Jokic took the Nuggets to within one point, 115-114, with 1:07 remaining.

From there, the Nuggets continued to press the matter, finding an opening when Chet Holmgren missed two free throws with 10 seconds to go.

Down by just a point 119-118, Denver raced to their side of the court and found Gordon open for a 3-pointer to make it 121-119 and secure the win.

Gordon finished with 22 points to backstop Jokic, with Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook adding 21 points and 18 points, respectively.

For the Thunder, it was MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who led the way with a near-triple double of 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Game 2 of the series is set for Wednesday at Paycom Center in OKC.