On Friday, March 7, Nikola Jokić delivered the first ever 30-20-20 triple-double in NBA history, stacking up a total of 31 points, 21 rebounds and a career-high 22 assists in a 149-141 overtime win against the Phoenix Suns.
Though Jokić and the Denver Nuggets held a decent lead after the third quarter, the Suns (30-34), led by superstars like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, made sharp pushes throughout the fourth quarter and later forced overtime with a classic Durant corner-three. However, it was quickly apparent who the victors of the game were after a Jokić floater led to a 7-0 scoring run. With 51 seconds left in overtime, Denver led by 11, and Jokić’s day at the office was over.
Despite having lost a 21-point lead by the end of the fourth quarter, the Nuggets still pulled through and Jokić was able to earn his 29th triple-double of the season through a win. A player achieves a “triple-double” in a game if they reach double digits in three categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals or blocks. Jokić’s performance also further cements his name as a contender for this year’s MVP award. After the game, Jokić spoke to reporters and, keeping to his usual demeanor, was unfazed by the magnitude of his achievement.
“I think I didn’t do anything like, special, special. It just seemed like everything was in flow,” Jokić said.
However nonchalant the three-time MVP may want to act, his 22 assists alone are deserving of much praise as they create a new record for the most ever made in a single game by a center. That record was previously held by Wilt Chamberlain, who posted 21 assists in February 1968. Who is third on that list, just in case you were wondering? It’s Jokić again, with 19 assists, having done so just two weeks ago against the Indiana Pacers.
Jokić, through the 58 games he’s played up until now, has put up an impressive average of 28.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game. In addition, Jokić has been working off of a highly efficient .574/.430/.809 shooting split, and he currently leads the league in player efficiency, boasting a value of 32.2.
Michael Malone, head coach of the Nuggets, spoke about Jokić following the win against the Suns.
“Nikola Jokić is one of one […]. The guy is just an incredible player, and when you are one of one in this league and the tremendous history of this league, that says a lot. And there’s a lot of good players in this league, but [Jokić], in my opinion, is just in a class all by himself,” Malone said.
Jokić, in his tenth year as center for the Denver basketball club, is currently in a tight MVP race with fellow powerhouse Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 32.9 points a game while shooting 52.5% from the field in his 62 games played this season so far. The Thunder currently lead the Western Conference.
In the meantime, the Nuggets (41-23) now sit third in the Western Conference and are in a close race for second with the leveling-up Los Angeles Lakers (40-22), a team on a high winning streak ever since their trade for Luca Dončić at the beginning of February (as of March 10). In any case, Jokić and the Nuggets will continue to play their game their way and try to repeat what they did back in the summer of 2023: win it all.
