The Denver Nuggets needed a masterful game from Nikola Jokic on Tuesday night, and that's precisely what he gave them. Jokic finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 17 assists, tying a season high, as Denver survived a furious late comeback from Phoenix to win 125-123.

It was the kind of performance that reminds you why the conversation about the best player in basketball still starts and ends with him.

Jokic recorded his NBA-leading 29th triple-double of the season by early in the third quarter and delivered several passes that had no business going where they went, including one full-court strike that found Christian Braun in stride for a layup.

Jamal Murray chipped in 21 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 18 off the bench. Denver had a 10-point halftime lead and looked in control for most of the night before Phoenix made things very uncomfortable down the stretch.

The Suns trailed 117-109 with just over three minutes left but chipped away methodically until Devin Booker tied it at 123 on a tough lane jumper with 30 seconds remaining. Jokic answered immediately with a 12-foot go-ahead jumper with 11.5 seconds left.

Then, Booker's potential winning three bounced off the rim at the buzzer. Denver escaped Phoenix with their sixth win in their last eight games. Booker finished with 22 points and eight assists in a losing effort and gave the Nuggets everything they could handle.

The Suns have now dropped six of seven and are fighting to stay out of the play-in picture. For Denver it's the opposite situation entirely, as they're now 1.5 games behind the Lakers for the third seed in the West and getting healthier at exactly the right time.

What makes Jokic's performances so disorienting is how unbothered he looks while doing things nobody else in the league can do (is anyone still surprised?). Nikola picked up an early technical foul after a heated exchange with a referee, but responded by putting up 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists before halftime alone.

"Guys were in those spots where they're supposed to be, they were cutting and I was just finding them," Jokic said. "It just happens."

It just happens. That's all the three-time MVP could do to describe a wildly efficient performance in a must-win road game. As great as he was, Denver's supporting cast deserves credit too.

Murray was aggressive when the Nuggets needed buckets, Hardaway was reliable off the bench, and the team held together when Phoenix made its run. Jokic's presence in these moments makes every single possession feel manageable. It feels like Denver is slowly becoming who they should have been all season.