Nikola Jokić posts first 30-20-20 game in NBA…
DENVER — Nikola Jokić sat in entrance of his locker, calmly scrolling by means of his cellphone, seemingly unimpressed that half-hour earlier he made NBA historical past.
The three-time NBA MVP had the league’s first 30-20-20 triple-double in the Denver Nuggets’ 149-141 extra time victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday evening. Jokic had 31 factors, 21 rebounds and a career-high 22 assists.
“It’s not supposed go that way,” Jokić stated. “I was talking to (Aaron Gordon) and he said to me, ‘That was a quiet 30 points.’ I didn’t do anything special, just seemed like everyone was in flow.”
Nikola Jokić appears to make a transfer on Mason Plumlee during the Nuggets’ 149-141 extra time win over the Suns on March 7, 2025. AP
Jokić tied his franchise document along with his twenty ninth triple-double of the season, and he reached it simply 1:20 into the second half along with his tenth rebound. He was approaching the triple-double early, ending the first quarter with 10 factors, six assists and 6 rebounds and had 13, 9 and eight at halftime.
The 30-year-old from Serbia is averaging a triple-double with 19 video games left in the season. His 28.9 factors, 12.9 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game all rank in the highest three in the NBA.
“I can’t describe him, so don’t ask me to,” Denver coach Michael Malone stated. “The guy is just an incredible player, and when you are one of one in this league, with the tremendous history of this league, that says a lot. There’s a lot of good players in this league, but Nikola, in my opinion, is just in a class all by himself.”
His fast begin to extra time lifted the Nuggets after they’d blown a 21-point lead. He had 5 factors, 5 assists and three rebounds in the additional period, enjoying almost 45 minutes total.
He made a 4-foot turnaround to start extra time, fed Jamal Murray for 2 baskets and assisted on a dunk and layup by Christian Braun in a 13-second span.
Nikola Jokić grabs one of his 21 rebounds in entrance of Nick Richards during the Nuggets’ extra time win over the Suns. AP
“He’s just one of a kind,” Braun stated. “You’ll never see something like this ever again – ever. You’ll never see a player that does the things he does night in and night out.”
Jokić’s earlier high in assists was 19, which occurred Feb. 24 at Indiana. He surpassed that on Michael Porter Jr.’s dunk that gave Denver a 139-130 lead with 1:18 left.
Jokić has 149 profession triple-doubles and Friday was the seventh time this season he has had a minimum of 15 factors, 15 rebounds and 15 assists. That tied Oscar Robertson for probably the most in one season.
His 22 assists are probably the most by a middle in a game however he’s far short of Scott Skiles’ NBA document of 30, a mark he isn’t involved about.
“I have different problems than that right now,” he stated.
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