Like last season, at the same time, Nikola Jokic doesn’t make a sound, but it’s gaining momentum, and it shouldn’t be buried in the race for the MVP. Double defending champion, the Serb is still part of the cream of the crop, and tonight, against the Hornets, he simply signs his best game of the season with a legendary triple-double: 40 points, 27 rebounds and 10 pass!
He is quite simply the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to compile such a triple-double!!! Not since “The Stilt”, in 1968, a player had achieved a triple-double with at least 40 points, 25 rebounds and 10 assists. He is only the third player to achieve such a feat since Elgin Baylor also achieved it in 1961. On the other hand, DeMarcus Cousins, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson only came close.
Nikola Jokic is also aiming for the 3rd star
This shows the scope of the performance of Nikola Jokic against the Hornets still as permeable in the racket. A few days ago, Joel Embiid martyred Mason Plumlee and his teammates, and this time it’s Nikola Jokic’s turn, even to the point of reaching the 20 rebound mark at the break! Again, you have to go back to Dwight Howard in 2018 to find a player with 20 rebounds in one half.
“I didn’t know he had done 40/27/10 but I knew it was another exceptional performance, and that he had been effective” reacted Mike Malone. “It’s not just Nikola’s stats, it’s his ability to make others better. Nikola is a generational talent. »
Beyond the stats, Nikola Jokic had to pull out all the stops because the Hornets shook the Nuggets until the end. It was therefore he who found Bruce Brown for the 3-pointer, with his 10th assist, and it was again he who scored the two free throws for the victory 13 seconds from the end.
“To be honest, I think our defense was what put me in the right place to pick up the rebounds” the Serb justifies himself on his catches. ” I didn’t try to catch them and I didn’t try to take them. It’s just like that, you see? Frankly, I wish it could be like this every night. »
Upon arrival, Denver signs a fourth victory in five games, and remains in ambush behind Memphis and New Orleans. As for Nikola Jokic, he signs his 81st career triple-double!
| Nikola Jokic | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2015-16 | DEN | 80 | 22 | 51.2 | 33.3 | 81.1 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 7.0 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 10.0 |
| 2016-17 | DEN | 73 | 28 | 57.8 | 32.4 | 82.5 | 2.9 | 6.9 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 16.7 |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 75 | 33 | 49.9 | 39.6 | 85.0 | 2.6 | 8.1 | 10.7 | 6.1 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 18.5 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 80 | 31 | 51.1 | 30.7 | 82.1 | 2.9 | 8.0 | 10.8 | 7.3 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 20.1 |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 73 | 32 | 52.8 | 31.4 | 81.7 | 2.3 | 7.5 | 9.7 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 20.0 |
| 2020-21 ★ | DEN | 72 | 35 | 56.6 | 38.8 | 86.8 | 2.9 | 8.0 | 10.8 | 8.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 ★ | DEN | 74 | 34 | 58.3 | 33.7 | 81.0 | 2.8 | 11.0 | 13.8 | 7.9 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 27.1 |
| 2022-23 | DEN | 25 | 33 | 62.9 | 30.6 | 81.2 | 2.0 | 8.3 | 10.3 | 9.0 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 24.6 |
| Total | 552 | 31 | 54.6 | 34.4 | 82.9 | 2.6 | 7.7 | 10.4 | 6.4 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 19.9 | |
