CLEVELAND — Denver Nuggets celebrity Nikola Jokić recorded his 139th triple-double Thursday in opposition to the Cavaliers to cross Magic Johnson for third place on the NBA’s all-time checklist.
Jokić, the league’s reigning MVP, completed with 27 factors, 20 rebounds (ties a season-high) and 11 assists in a 126-114 loss to Cleveland. He notched his tenth help — on a 3-pointer from Michael Porter Jr. — with 3:37 left within the fourth quarter and handed Johnson in 692 profession video games. Magic wanted 880 contests to hit 138 triple-doubles.
“It’s one thing that you simply’re going to have a look at if you end your profession,” stated Jokić, who tied a season-high with these 20 boards. “Right now you don’t even give it some thought. But it’s an incredible factor. It’s an honor to perform one thing like that. So it’s a actually good factor.”
Jokić shot 13-of-26 from the sector and missed all three of his 3-point tries. He was consistently tousled with Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, whom the Cavs credited for making the sport harder in opposition to the Denver star.
“J.A. was phenomenal,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson stated. “Jokic nonetheless had an incredible sport, however we made him work, saved his effectivity down.”
The Cavs, in the meantime, improved to 20-3 to tie one of the best begin in franchise historical past (2008-09). Donovan Mitchell scored 28 factors and Darius Garland added 24 factors; Cleveland linked on 22 3-pointers to Denver’s six 3s.
Jokić, who had a double-double (17 factors, 14 boards) at halftime, stands alone behind solely Oscar Robertson (181) and teammate Russell Westbrook (200) for essentially the most regular-season triple-doubles in league historical past. He has recorded no less than 10 triple-doubles each season for the reason that 2017-18 marketing campaign, with a career-high 29 in 2022-23 (the Nuggets’ championship season) and 25 final yr. Counting the playoffs, Jokić has 157 triple-doubles.
“Yeah, we simply bought our butts kicked,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone stated. “I like Nikola, I actually do, and I’m lucky to educate him and he’s probably the greatest to ever do it. I’m completely satisfied to listen to that, I actually am, however I’m simply a lot extra involved about my group proper now.”
The loss dropped Denver to 11-9.
The 29-year-old middle is a three-time league MVP, was Finals MVP in 2023, and is a six-time All-Star. Before Thursday’s sport, Atkinson stated Jokić “is the toughest (participant to) guard within the league due to his passing potential.
“And then he can get 50 (factors) on you,” Atkinson added. “He’s so totally different from the remainder of the league as a playmaking 5 who shoots 3s, can put it on the deck, scores inside and outdoors.”
Like LeBron, Bird, and Oscar
Jokić has stamped himself as probably the greatest passers in NBA historical past. More than that, he and LeBron James are arguably the 2 finest passers of this period.
What Jokić is doing is unprecedented in its quantity. He’s taken the blueprint of nice passing facilities in NBA historical past — the late, nice, Bill Walton and Arvydas Sabonis — and expanded upon the brilliance they launched to the league from that place.
Where Jokić has separated himself as a middle and thrust himself into the general dialog for finest passer in NBA historical past is his potential to have an effect on the sport together with his playmaking by way of all 94 ft. Sabonis and Walton did most of their work within the halfcourt, primarily by way of the publish, catching teammates reducing to the basket. Because Jokić dribbles like some extent guard and is ready to seize a rebound and push the ball himself in transition, his pathway to creating performs for others has been a lot extra extensive open than some other middle in NBA historical past.
Because of that, we are able to’t examine Jokić to others at his place in that vein. He’s extra like James, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson and the person he simply handed, Magic Johnson. His passing is an all-encompassing endeavor for which there isn’t a protection at this level. — Tony Jones, NBA author
Required studying
(Photo: Bart Young / Getty Images)
