Nikola Jokic Makes NBA History in Game 1 vs. Lakers

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Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic had a dominant start to the Western Conference Finals, finishing the first quarter of Game 1 with 8 PTS, 12 REB, and 5 AST. Since the NBA began tracking quarter-specific data in 1997, the most rebounds in the first quarter of a game was 12 by Tim Duncan, which Jokic tied.
Also tallying 5 assists in the first quarter, Jokic became the first player to tally at least 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a single playoff quarter since the NBA began tracking such data. It was a statistically unprecedented first quarter for Jokic, who did not slow down entering the second frame.
With 19 PTS, 16 REB, and 7 AST at the half, Jokic became the first player to post those numbers in a playoff half since the NBA began tracking such data in 1997. Jokic made all kinds of history in that first half vs. the Lakers, posting numbers that have never been seen in any half of a playoff game.
Breaking records all postseason long, Jokic has been showing why he is not only one of the best players in the world, but best playoff performers as well. Certain negative narratives about his ability in the postseason have existed in the past, but Jokic has silenced all of that this season, and did so again in the first half of Game 1.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.