DENVER — The game was played in exclamation points.

The Joker vs. The Alien. Boom! Pow! Splat! Block! Swish!

While Nikola Jokic appears destined to finish behind Victor Wembanyama in the MVP voting, another race remains very much in doubt.

The Nuggets, too hurt, too inconsistent, and too offensive for too long, can steal the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed. The Lakers’ Hollywood ending appears ready to dissolve like so many dreams on a casting couch with news that Luca Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) will miss the remainder of the regular season.

Denver trails Los Angeles by a half game with four left. The Nuggets are on a heater, winners of eight straight, but must clear the Lakers because they own the tiebreaker.

Everything seems possible after a nervy 136-134 overtime victory over San Antonio at rowdy Ball Arena.

It became Jokic vs. Wemby. Everybody in a black-and-white jersey lost.

And we all won.

“I would pay top dollar to watch these guys. It is good for sports,” said coach David Adelman, his voice hoarse from screaming that resulted in a technical foul when defending contact on Jokic. “The way they both do it is completely different. At the same time, it is unique and awesome. You are not going to see two people like this in many generations.”

Given the time, place and stakes, it was the Nuggets’ biggest win of the regular season. The Nuggets have a realistic chance to run the table, and with two more victories will post the first 10-game winning streak in Jokic’s career.

The schedule looks like this: Portland, Memphis, Oklahoma City and at San Antonio. It should only take three wins with the Lakers brought to their knees by injuries. And the Spurs might rest starters in the season finale with their No. 2 spot locked in.

If you love movies that make you watch from the edge of your seat, you want the Nuggets to finish ahead of the Lakers.

Three is not a lonely number. Lovely is more like it.

Nuggets v. Spurs in the second round? Two weeks of Jokic against Wemby?

Yes please.

What we witnessed Saturday was not basketball. It was a recital in greatness.

Jokic finished with 40 points, eight rebounds, 13 assists, three blocks and zero turnovers. Wembanyama countered with 34, 18, seven, five and one.

“They are both unreal players at the top of the league,” said Nuggets guard Christian Braun, who hit a career-high five 3s. “Getting to watch those guys, and seeing them compete is fun.”

Jokic never acknowledges it, painting every opponent as important, but it was clear he made up his mind that this matchup was special. He knows more than he lets on about conversations regarding personal awards, even if they don’t motivate him.

The latest ESPN straw poll has Wemby finishing second behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP voting, well ahead of Joker.

Saturday will not change the order, but it provided a reminder that Jokic is racing for another title before “The Alien,” Jokic’s nickname for the Spurs center, takes over the world.

“I think the first time I played against him, I told you guys that he was going to change the league. I still think that,” Jokic said. “He has a chance to be the most unique player ever.”

Wembanyama’s skill set required Jokic to become more creative, adding more arc to his shot and another set of eyes in the back of his head.

Want a high IQ? With eight seconds left in regulation, Jokic came across the key in a beautifully designed inbounds play. He received the ball and drew defenders like paparazzi to a Kardashian. He fired a pass to Aaron Gordon for a wide-open dunk, forcing the extra period.

The Spurs entered the afternoon 26-1 in Wemby’s last 27 games. Snuffing them out demanded excellence.

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With one minute left, Jokic forced his hip into Wembanyama and took three left-handed dribbles.

The options were sparse against the favorite for defensive player of the year honors. Try a traditional jumper and eat a basketball sandwich like Jonas Valanciunas did earlier in the game. Look for an open man with the clock winding down. Or show off the Sombor Shuffle with an 11-footer off the wrong foot.

“I just let it fly,” Jokic said, “and enjoyed the moment.”

With nine seconds left, Jokic finished off the Spurs, eschewing a chance for free throws, by draining a floater as Wemby closed quickly.

It ended the game, but did not put anything to rest.

Jokic, 31, is the greatest player in the world, as Adelman repeated before tipoff, but he is not this season after missing 16 games and going through a rare bout of inconsistency for a month that featured a rash of turnovers.

Yes, Jokic is the best. But Wemby’s got next.

It does not require squinting to see the 22-year-old going on a run of MVPs starting next season. He changes every offensive possession. With his reach, he is a menace. Part pterodactyl, part air traffic controller.

He doesn’t pass like Jokic — no one does — but he sees the floor well and creates favorable matchups for teammates. And if all else fails, they just lob him alley-oops that he finishes like a teenager on a Nerf hoop.

Who doesn’t want to see this matchup in prime time?

The Nuggets, if they land the third seed, would likely have to eliminate playoff nemesis Minnesota. And the Spurs would have to beat someone without breaking a sweat.

But NBA history tells us that San Antonio is a year away. That they need to experience the postseason difference — from the intensity to how fouls are called — before breaking through. Even young Oklahoma City required a clumsy postseason audition.

The Nuggets are capable of beating San Antonio. They don’t flinch on the road, where they would have to swipe a game to take the series. And with Gordon, they have a player who does not shrink in Wemby’s shadow.

“That’s a really good ball club over there that plays really hard,” Gordon said. “So they brought it out of us.”

It was marvelous. Or more appropriately, the stuff of Marvel Comics.

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