Nikola Jokic shows he’s MVP and Austin Rivers gets revenge as Nuggets pound the Knicks

A sign of the ugliness to come for the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau picked up a technical foul just 28 seconds after the opening tip.

He was fuming over the early calls — including two against RJ Barrett — but his passionate pleas for whistles were never going save the Knicks on Wednesday night, not in their Denver hellhole and not against the league’s MVP frontrunner.

Nikola Jokic scored 24 of his 32 points in the first quarter of the Nuggets’ 113-97 domination, showing the voters he’s a class above Julius Randle (14 points on 5-of-13 shooting). The Knicks entered the night as the NBA’s hottest squad, winners of 12 of their previous 13 games.

But they also haven’t won in Denver since 2006, a stretch spanning (gulp) nine Knicks coaches. Altitude might be a factor (the Nuggets are 25-10 at home), but Jokic represented New York’s biggest impediment Wednesday.

By the time the center was subbed out after the first quarter, the Knicks were trailing by 24 and well on their way to their first double-digit defeat since April 2. Two nights earlier, veteran Taj Gibson refused to concede the MVP to Jokic, saying Chris Paul should have a say.

Then Jokic put Gibson in a blender, causing the veteran to commit five fouls in 11 minutes. Jokic played just 29 minutes because of the extended garbage time and finished with 12 rebounds and six assists.

It was also a revenge game for Nuggets guard Austin Rivers, who was traded by the Knicks in March and dropped 25 points while shooting 6 of 9 from beyond the arc against his former team Wednesday. Rivers’ experience in New York was a disappointment compared to what he envisioned after signing a three-year, $10 million deal just a few months ago.

Following the acquisition of Derrick Rose – which was pushed by Thibodeau – Rivers was cut from the rotation and didn’t want to stick around for a chance to open.

“I’ve known Austin since he was a kid. He’s a great kid,” said Thibodeau, who was an assistant under Rivers’ father, Doc, over 10 years ago. “It didn’t work out because we had the opportunity to get Derrick. That was the only reason. (Austin) did a good job for us and I’m happy he’s in the rotation here.”

Rose has been great for the Knicks but was outplayed Wednesday by Rivers, who stared down New York’s bench after connecting on a 3-pointer in the third quarter.

The Knicks, meanwhile, didn’t have the same defensive energy or crisp offense. It was a sloppy and lazy effort, and not a good way to start the most difficult part of their schedule – with games upcoming at the Suns, Clippers and Lakers.

RJ Barrett was scoreless in the first half and frustrated into his first career technical. The Knicks never got closer than 16 points after the first quarter, losing for the 13th straight time in Denver. the From beginning to end Wednesday, it was ugly.