The cartoonish Defensive Player of the Game necklace is the Nuggets’ corniest tradition, a blinged-out emblem of morale and validation more commonly found on college football sidelines than in NBA locker rooms. If it appears that one is too many, prepare for impact.

“We just travel with one. “We have to change that,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said following his team’s 119-103 victory over the Warriors on Sunday. “Because if we had two chains, Nikola would have gotten the other one.”

The lone chain could only belong to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who worked tirelessly to out-cardio Steph Curry in the half-court. But in Nikola Jokic’s three video-game outings since the All-Star break, his defense has performed admirably with his offense. He averages 27.3 points, 16.7 rebounds, and 15 assists while shooting at 68.7%. He also has three “stocks,” which are blocks and steals.

When he’s on the court this season, the Nuggets allow 112.1 points per 100 possessions, which is 1.3 less than their team average.

As the MVP competition heats up between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic, Jokic’s four thefts against Golden State highlight the difficulty in rating his defense. He’s not always noticeable — the No. 1 argument skeptics use against his annual candidacy is that he’s a liability — but when he’s engaged in the game plan and actively anticipating an opponent’s next move, as he is on offense, he can be a master of his role in Denver’s defense.

“I’m not bad, nor good,” Jokic said Sunday at Chase Center. “I’m in the middle.”

Jokic rarely dunks the ball, and he rarely swats shots or defends above the rim. Instead, the Nuggets exploit their center’s talents by having him guard higher up against ball screens than other big men in the NBA, relying heavily on weak-side help from Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. to stop rollers. When Jokic can play from the center of the court, his vision and IQ work in tandem with his quick hands.

Caldwell-Pope praised his ability to excel in pick-and-rolls and ball movement. “Just being awake. The hands are active. Getting deflections as they try to make a pocket pass.”

Jokic had five deflections to go with his four steals in Denver’s seventh straight victory over the Warriors. As of 56 games, he was tied for sixth in the league with 2.9 per game (as many as the ridiculously wingspanned Victor Wembanyama). “That speaks to activity, that speaks to a physicality, that speaks to being in that right place in the right time,” Malone added. Disrupting the pocket pass is part of Jokic’s instinctive awareness of pick-and-roll angles, which is what makes his two-man game with Jamal Murray so effective on the other end of the court.

He usually defends the pick-and-roll with someone other than Murray. Caldwell-Pope is responsible for premier backcourt matchups on a regular basis. Caldwell-Pope is an accomplished guard who excels at navigating screens. However, the Nuggets have limited off-day practice time throughout the season to fine-tune two-man defensive chemistry, and Jokic and Caldwell-Pope have not played their entire careers together. So, according to Caldwell-Pope, it’s all about “learning on the go.”

“I feel like with Jok, in a pick-and-roll with him defensively, I know he’s gonna be up,” he went on to say. “I know he has wonderful hands, just like I do. He’ll also try for the theft. So just us two, being in that action, it really helps me out. It simply helps him get back to his guy, while also allowing me to stay as near to him as possible. That is our game plan, with him awake. It’s beneficial for our team that he’s awake.”

Caldwell-Pope went on to say that Jokic falling behind him and being able to see other components of the play unfolding makes it easier for him to hound the ball-handler through the screen. “He reads plays faster than I can sometimes,” the former Laker admitted.

“That’s him, to be honest,” Jokic said about his chemistry with Caldwell-Pope. “I’m only there to make sure nothing goes wrong. He’s a great defender, and I’m simply there to assist him out a little. As much as I can. But it is largely him.”

Malone focuses on the big coming up on screens against the Warriors, whose on- and off-ball moves are frequently designed to set up Curry for a 3-point shot. Curry scored 14 points in the third quarter on Sunday, but he went 1-for-10 from 3-point range and had only six points in the other three quarters combined. He turned it over three times. The Warriors performed 17 times. Jokic’s aggressive hands were blocking passing paths.

“He’s so smart defensively,” Steve Kerr remarked.

Caldwell-Pope might be the one chasing Curry around the court. However, the way Denver defends the majority of Curry’s plays necessitates the presence of a capable defensive big man. If that isn’t enough to help Jokic win his third MVP trophy, Malone will have to bring a second chain next time around.

“You’re almost blitzing (Curry),” Malone added. “And Nikola was always up in those pick-and-rolls, contributing to what KCP was doing. So his involvement and activity were off the charts.”