Nikola Jokic Makes NBA History On Sunday Night In Nuggets-Hornets Game
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Charlotte Hornets 119-115 on Sunday night to pick up their fourth win in their last five games, but the key storyline that came out of this game was Jokic’s massive performance.
Playing in a total of 40 minutes, just the second time he has eclipsed the 40-minute mark all season long, Jokic recorded 40 points, a career-high 27 rebounds and 10 assists. This was his second 40-point night of the season, his second 40-point night in three games, his fifth triple-double of the season and this was Jokic’s 81st career triple-double.
Getting a 40-point triple double is very impressive, but the biggest thing that stood out about this game from Nikola Jokic was his rebounding numbers.
Recording a career-high 27 rebounds, Jokic could not be stopped in the paint and he became just the third player in NBA history to record at least 40 points, 25 rebounds and 10 assists in a single game, joining two legends in Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.
He is also the first player to put up such numbers since Wilt Chamberlain had 52 points, 32 rebounds and 14 assists in 1968 per NBA stats.
Due to the fact that he has won the MVP award in back-to-back seasons, many tend to overlook Nikola Jokic’s accomplishments on the floor.
Sunday’s game against the Hornets ended up being a historic, monumental night for Jokic and after a slow start to the season compared to what we have been accustomed to seeing from him, the Nuggets’ star is now averaging 30.9 points, 13.5 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game while shooting 60.8 percent from the floor in the month of December.
The Nuggets are once again a championship contending team in the Western Conference and they will go as far as Nikola Jokic is able to take them.
To be as dominant as he is and to be able to make some of the passes he can make as a near 7-foot center is incredible, which is why Jokic is a once-and-a-lifetime type of talent.
Nikola Jokic’s next chance to put together yet another historic game will be on Tuesday night when the Denver Nuggets host Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.
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