Nikola Jokić has broken many records this year, but tonight he raised the bar to heights where no NBA player in history has ever been.
The Serbian national team member surpassed the magical threshold of 30 points, 20 assists, and 20 rebounds (31p, 21r, 22a) in a tense game against Phoenix that ended only after overtime, with a final score of 149-141!
The start of the match hinted that we would witness another Jokić miracle…
Namely, it took Nikola Jokić only 22 minutes to achieve a triple-double! Just as the third quarter began, the Serbian ace achieved his 29th triple-double of the season!
At the start of the third quarter, Nikola Jokić made an assist, “grabbed” two rebounds, and reached a triple-double, having finished the first half with 13 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. This was a game that showed how well the Nuggets can play, but also how quickly they can lose concentration and the lead.
From the start of the game, they entered a great shooting mode and delivered 13 three-pointers to the Suns from only 20 attempts in the first half for a 68-56 lead.
The Nuggets started furiously from the beginning and in playoff mode. In the first 12 minutes, Aaron Gordon scored four three-pointers, and Jokić two. After the third quarter, the Nuggets had an 11-point lead (102-91). And then, in the fourth quarter, there was a major relaxation, which led the game to an uncertain finish.
When Braun hit a three-pointer with 1.4 seconds left in regulation for a 125-122 Denver lead, it seemed that everything was over, but the Nuggets allowed Durant to hit a three-pointer at the buzzer and take the game to overtime. However, in the additional 5 minutes, there was only one team on the court, and the Nuggets, with several Jokić baskets and assists, stayed in the race with the Lakers for 2nd place in the Western Conference.
Source: Sportal Photo: Instagram