By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic registered his 11th season and 39nth career triple-double by posting 30 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in the Denver Nuggets’ 98 – 85 away win over the Utah Jazz. By accumulating these numbers, the Serbian center entered a rather “exclusive” club in the NBA.
Per the Basketball-Reference, Jokic became just the third player with a statline of at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists since the NBA/ABA merger of 1976 and just the second one to achieve it in a winning game.
Only DeMarcus Cousins (40 points, 23 rebounds, 10 assists in a 2018 New Orleans Pelicans’ win over the Chicago Bulls) and David Lee (37 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a New York Knicks’ loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2010) had amassed such numbers in a single game in the last 33 years.
Since the Nuggets were extremely shorthanded, having just seven players available, Jokic certainly had more responsibilities than usual and thus more opportunities to seriously stuff the stats sheet. But, this also meant facing some additional pressure while also having to fight in a matchup with French center Rudy Gobert, the reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year and arguably the top defender in the league this season.
There just eight players in the 30-20-10 list in the history of the NBA overall: Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, George McGinnis, Elgin Baylor, Billy Cunningham, Cousins, Lee and Jokic.
“Nice. I like it. Put some legacy behind,” was Jokic’s reaction to reporters after being told of his accomplishments.