OKLAHOMA CITY – Nikola Jokic gave award voters something to think about, even if it came after the buzzer for ballots sounded.

Denver’s three-time Most Valuable Player dropped 42 points, 22 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal in front of the MVP favorite, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference to lead the Nuggets to an improbable 121-119 win on the Thunder’s home court.

Jokic saved 18 of those points for the fourth quarter when Denver needed each one of them to pull off a 14-point comeback.

“Nikola was great late,” interim Nuggets coach David Adelman said.

Despite a 1-for-5 start from 3-point range, Jokic made his biggest shot of the night from beyond the arc to make it a one-point game with 1 minute and 7 seconds left to put the pressure squarely on the Thunder’s shoulders. He capped his scoring with two free throws in the final 15 seconds before Aaron Gordon hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“Aaron’s going to be the hero again, but I’m also looking at 14 rebounds. I’m looking at 22 points, looking at ball-handling responsibilities, leadership. He is a Denver Nugget, man,” Adelman said after Gordon’s second game-winner this postseason.”He is the soul of this team, so it’s cool to see him have two moments that no one will ever forget.”

If Gordon’s the heart and soul, Jokic is the brilliant brain of Denver’s basketball operation. Jokic finished 15 of 29 from the field and 10 of 13 from the line. During a couple trips to the line, the Thunder faithful serenaded Jokic with chants of “Free throw merchant,” the same basketball crime Jokic supporters accuse Gilgeous-Alexander of committing.

“To be honest, I didn’t hear that,” Jokic said. “But that’s kind of funny.”

Jokic has long claimed playing in NBA arenas doesn’t shake him thanks to his experiences in Serbia and representing his country in larger and more intense environments in international play.

“In Serbia, I played in small gyms where there’s like literally 30 people and you can hear everything that they are saying. Sometimes I think that’s the worst, because you can see the guy,” Jokic said of his early days as a pro.

“I’ve (also) played in front of a lot of people for national team, playing in other countries. It’s definitely an experience. I’m going to say I don’t get distracted.”

The only blemish on his box score was seven turnovers, the product of him having to play in a crowd for much of the game.

“They were aggressive. That’s what they do. They were playing passing lanes,” Jokic said. “Maybe I was not cautious. Maybe I was just playing loose, but I just needed to be aggressive. I think I did that.”

Five of Jokic’s rebounds came on the offensive glass, helping the Nuggets to a 27-21 advantage in second-chance points. Denver also outscored the Thunder and their two starting 7-footers – Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren – 54-46 in the paint.

“He had some unbelievable finishes around the basket,” Adelman said.

“The biggest thing for us was he finally saw the 3-point shot go in. With their drop coverage, the way they played, that put them in much longer rotations, which puts him in close-out situations where he can actually handle it, spin, score in the paint. … Him playing in the middle of the floor as opposed to on the block is hard, because now you really have to bring bodies (from) 15, 16 feet away as opposed to on the block (where) you have a set defense to rotate and take him away.”

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists with two steals and a block. Adelman referred to Oklahoma City’s star as a “first-team All-NBA player,” afterward. The Thunder had five other players score 12 or more points – Chet Holmgren (12), Isaiah Hartenstein (12), Luguentz Dort (14), Jalen Williams (16) and Alex Caruso (20).

Most of Jokic’s help came from Gordon (22), Jamal Murray (21) and Russell Westbrook (18).

The MVP reflects regular-season performance and ballots are due before the postseason begins, but Jokic made a statement in Game 1, even if he can’t stand the MVP discourse.

NUGGETS 121, THUNDER 119

What happened: Oklahoma City led by one after the first quarter and extended the lead to 60-50 at halftime. Denver closed within five by the start of the fourth quarter and erased a nine-point deficit with 3 minutes left to snatch home-court advantage from Oklahoma City.

What went right: Aaron Gordon finished 3 for 6 from 3-point range. None was bigger than his game-winner from the left corner with 4 seconds left.

What went wrong: The Nuggets (18) committed twice as many turnovers as the Thunder (9), and Oklahoma City owned a 23-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

Highlight of the night: Aaron Gordon somehow completed a three-point play over Chet Holmgren late in the second quarter. Christian Braun advanced the ball and dropped off a pass to Gordon running down the right flank. Gordon elevated and muscled a finish over Holmgren, who ended the sequence seated on the court, while Gordon flexed.

Up next: Game 2 is another 7:30 p.m. start Wednesday at Paycom Center.