The best player in basketball did best-player-in-basketball things Monday night. And somehow, it still feels like we're not appreciating Nikola Jokic enough.

The Denver Nuggets center recorded his 29th triple-double of the season - 23 points, 17 rebounds, 17 assists on 9-of-16 shooting with just 2 turnovers - then calmly hit the go-ahead jumper with 11.5 seconds left to beat the Phoenix Suns 125-123, according to ESPN.

For most players, a triple-double is a career night, a performance you circle on the calendar and remember forever. For Jokic? It's a Tuesday. His 29th of the season. He's averaging one every three games, and he makes it look so effortless that we've become numb to the absurdity.

Let's talk about those numbers for a second. 23 points, 17 rebounds, 17 assists. That means Jokic either scored or directly assisted on at least 69 points for the Nuggets. In a game they won by 2. He was responsible for more than half of Denver's offense while also controlling the glass on both ends.

And he did it on 9-of-16 shooting. No empty stats, no volume shooting to pad numbers. Just hyper-efficient basketball, taking what the defense gives him, making the right play every single time. Oh, and only 2 turnovers despite handling the ball on nearly every possession. That's not just good - that's surgical.

But here's what separates Jokic from other great stat-stuffers: he wins games. With 11.5 seconds left and the game on the line, the ball was in his hands, and he hit the shot. No panic, no hero ball, just a fundamentally sound mid-range jumper that found the bottom of the net.

This is why Jokic is the reigning MVP. This is why he's won the award multiple times. It's not just the stats - though the stats are bonkers. It's the winning. It's the clutch moments. It's the way he makes everyone around him better while also being the best player on the court.

The Suns are no slouch, either. This isn't some rebuilding team. Phoenix came to play, and they nearly pulled it out. But when it mattered most, Denver had Jokic, and Phoenix didn't. That's the difference.