The Denver Nuggets continue to impress in their ongoing push to hold on to the Northwest Division top spot, with Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. impressing in their recent 113-106 win over the Sacramento Kings.

The victory, a fifth on the trot, came after the Nuggets found themselves 20 points down in the first half and saw Porter top score with 30 points and Jokic lead the way with nine rebounds and 11 assists.

Those looking to back Michael Malone’s side in the betting would do well to check out the sports betting odds on the Nuggets securing their first-ever NBA title. Denver can be backed at around (+1300) with most sportsbooks, and that places them at around the sixth spot behind the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors, and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Serbian star Jokic continues to be the Nuggets’ mainstay and a player who can seemingly do no wrong. He’s also a player that is attracting some rather high praise from Malone in recent weeks, the Denver head coach drawing comparisons to a certain LeBron James.

“Aside from the athleticism, their IQ and their ability to play chess and not checkers is just remarkable. And to read the situation, not only how I’m being guarded but the other four defenders on the floor. Nikola, he’s like a computer, man. He reads that stuff really quick and makes the right read 9.9 times out of ten.”

This is the 27-year-old’s eighth season in the NBA, and with the Nuggets and the levels of consistency he offers are frankly astonishing. Jokic picked up the NBA MVP award in 2021 and 2022 and is a decent bet to make it three from three this season and is a player that deserves a championship ring; can he get one in 2023?

If Jokic is delivering on his obvious potential, then Porter Jr. is a player who is starting to show real maturity this season. The 24-year-old has had injury issues, with his back and heel most commonly, but he’s trying his darndest to make himself indispensable to Malone and the Nuggets this season.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a little bit better at some things every year, so the ceiling is definitely high,” he said. “I’ve got length, and I can move. I’ve just got to take it seriously night in, night out and make that a priority.”

Jokic is a player who believes that the Nuggets can deliver this season and knows the critical buzzword that Denver needs to deliver on and on that possible title charge, the towering Serb stated: “Yes. Probably, yes. But you never know. I think consistency is the word…when you’re consistent, hopefully, you can make something happen.”

In each of the past four seasons, the Nuggets have eased into the play-offs and then invariably been outplayed. They’ve been beaten to the punch by the likes of the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns, and last season, the Golden State Warriors, and Malone will hope that 2022-23 offers a more tangible reward for his efforts.