Kawhi Leonard's uber-efficient night spoils Nikola Jokic joining Magic Johnson and LeBron James on key podium

Kawhi Leonard spoiled Nikola Jokic's historic night as the LA Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets 105-102 in Game 2 of their first-round matchup on Monday. Leonard had a very efficient performance, missing just four shots to counter Jokic's 19th career playoff triple-double.

Leonard finished with 39 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 15-for-19 shooting to help even the series heading into Games 3 and 4 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Jokic dropped 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists for the 19th triple-double of his postseason career.

"The Joker" is now third on the all-time playoff triple-double list behind LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson and Lakers superstar LeBron James. Johnson sits at the top with 30, while James has a total of 28 and counting. "The King" has a chance to break the record this postseason as long as they don't make an early exit.

Nikola Jokic had a chance to send the game to overtime, but missed a 25-foot fadeaway as the buzzer sounded. Jokic also had seven turnovers, which was a tough pill to swallow considering the Denver Nuggets took care of the basketball in Game 1.

"The Joker" also went 4-for-8 from the free-throw line, so if only he had made his bonus points, the Nuggets could have won the game. Nevertheless, Kawhi Leonard had a flawless performance to help the Clippers even the series.

Game 3 of the first-round matchup is scheduled for Thursday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Tipoff is at 10 p.m. EST as the Nuggets will try to knock off the Clippers to regain homecourt advantage.

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Nikola Jokic to finish in Top 3 of NBA MVP voting for 5th year in a row

Nikola Jokic to finish in Top 3 of NBA MVP voting for 5th year in a row. (Photo: IMAGN)

As announced on "Inside the NBA" last week, Nikola Jokic is among the three finalists for the MVP award this season. He was joined by the OKC Thunder's Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo. They were also the three finalists last year when Jokic won his third MVP award.

SGA is the current favorite to win it this season despite Jokic's best statistical campaign of his career. It was also the first time that he averaged a triple-double in a season. However, he has also won three of the past four MVPs, so there might be voter fatigue involved.

The Thunder superstar has also been great this season, leading the league in scoring and leading his team to the best record in the NBA. His defense probably put him over the top, though it wouldn't be surprising if "The Joker" finished second, or at least it's a close result.