Charlotte Hornets guard Vasilije Micic commended his Serbia teammate Nikola Jokic ahead of the game of his team against the Joker’s Denver Nuggets Saturday. Micic, who first met when they were both teenagers playing on the same team in Serbia, called the three-time MVP a model for other NBA big names.

Count Nikola Jokic as a believer in the Knicks. After absorbing a 122-112 defeat at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night, the three-time NBA MVP touted the Knicks as legitimate title contenders.

Two years after he won an NBA title, Nikola Jokic views the surging New York Knicks as a “top-five candidate” to end their 52-year championship drought. The Knicks beat Jokic's Denver Nuggets 122-112 on Wednesday for their fifth straight victory.