By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been named Western Conference Player of the Month for games played in February as the Serb big man continues to dominate and being the front runner for a third straight season MVP award.
Per the press release: Jokić becomes the first player in franchise history to win the award in back-to-back months and it marks the sixth Player of the Month honor in his career, the most in franchise history.
The NBA’s back-to-back Most Valuable Player averaged 22.6 points, 14.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists while shooting .642 from the field and .500 from three-point range in 11 games during February. He helped lead the Nuggets to a record of 9-2 in games in which he played, and they currently sit atop the Western Conference with a record of 44-19.
Jokić, 28, recorded eight triple-doubles in February including posting one in four of his last five games, adding to his league-leading 24 for the season. He joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only centers in NBA history to record eight or more triple doubles in a single month. The Nuggets are currently 24-0 this season when he records a triple double and dating back to last season, they are 28-0 in such games, the longest streak in NBA history. Jokic also became the third player in NBA history (Robertson, Westbrook) to average a triple double in three consecutive months.
Joker currently has shot over .500 from the field in 49 straight games, making it the second longest active streak in the NBA (Robert Williams) and third longest streak in NBA history. He also joined Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to record 500 assists and 500 rebounds before the All-star break.
The Sombor, Serbia native is averaging 24.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and a career-high 10.0 assists, while shooting .633 from the field and .398 from three in 33.6 minutes per game. If those averages hold, he will become the third player in NBA history to average a triple double for a single season (Robertson, Westbrook).
In the East, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson won the award. He averaged 27.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists as the Knicks went 9-2 in February, including 8-2 with Brunson in the lineup, and are currently on a seven-game winning streak, which has moved them up to the No. 5 seed in the East.