ESPN's Shams Charania believes Nikola Jokić has become more "comfortable" with his leadership role on the Denver Nuggets since the front office turnover at the end of the 2024-25 regular season.

In the weeks following Michael Malone's late-season firing from the Denver Nuggets, we've seen glimpses of Nikola Jokić clearly taking on a more vocal player-coaching role with his teammates. Interim head coach David Adelman's steady approach to asking Nuggets players to take more of a personal responsibility for their play has likely resonated with the three-time MVP the most of all.

James Harden rebounded from a quiet night in Game 5 on Tuesday to score 28 points. Kawhi Leonard added 27 points and the Clippers forced a Game 7 of their first-round NBA playoff series with a 111-105 win over the Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday.