Kevin Durant: Nikola Jokic Among Top 10 Players in NBA History

The Phoenix Suns pulled off a huge Christmas Day win against the Denver Nuggets, taking down the defending champs 110-100 with a fourth-quarter surge. But it was Kevin Durant’s postgame praise for Nikola Jokic that really turned heads.

“He’s arguably the best player in the world and a top-10 player of all-time,” Durant said about Jokic after the game.

That’s quite a statement from KD, who knows a thing or two about basketball greatness.

Durant and Bradley Beal led the way for Phoenix, combining for 27 points as the Suns snapped their three-game losing streak. The win pushed their record to 15-14, giving their fans a nice Christmas present.

Jokic didn’t disappoint either. The big Serbian put up 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, continuing what’s been an incredible season. He’s averaging a career-best 30.7 points while shooting an amazing 50% from three-point range – pretty unreal numbers for a center.

But the Nuggets have hit a rough patch. After starting 7-3, they’ve cooled off to 16-12, sitting fifth in the Western Conference. That’s not quite what you’d expect from the defending champs.

They’ll try to get back on track Friday against the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers, who’ve been crushing it with a league-best 26-4 record.

After the game, Durant tackled another hot topic: the NBA’s viewership numbers. While Christmas Day games saw their best ratings in five years – up 84% from last season – overall viewership has been down.

“It’s a weird dialogue around the league and the viewership,” Durant said. “I see a lot of people blaming the players for it. Something that big, it’s not just one component in why it’s going that way.”

ESPN’s NBA ratings had dropped 28% early in the season, but Durant’s staying positive.

“Today was a step in the right direction to get people excited again for the game of basketball,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s not just because it’s Christmas. I want to see the viewership get back up, even for those games in January.”