Inside The Nuggets

Nikola Jokic Makes NBA History in Nuggets' Win vs. Magic

The Denver Nuggets' three-time MVP reached a historic mark against the Orlando Magic.
Logan Struck|
Dec 18, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Ball Arena.
Dec 18, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Ball Arena. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets picked up a huge 126-115 win at home on Thursday night against the Orlando Magic, despite being severely shorthanded. The Nuggets played without Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Peyton Watson, taking away three of their best defenders, but still managed to pull out a win.

Of course, even while shorthanded, much of Denver's success can be attributed to two people: Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The star duo combined for 55 points in the win, while Jokic particularly shined with a dominant triple-double, dropping 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists.

With Jokic's 13-assist performance, he has officially passed NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most career assists by a center in league history with 5,663 and counting.

Nikola Jokic is the best passing center in NBA history

If it was not already made clear, Jokic is undoubtedly the best passing big man the league has ever seen. Abdul-Jabbar held the record for most career assists by a center in league history for a very long time, as he recorded 5,660 through 1,560 games. However, Jokic surpassed his mark in just 771 games.

Jokic is the only center in NBA history to even reach 3,000+ career assists while playing 800 or fewer games, as he is legitimately in a tier of his own.

"Those things are something for after the career," Jokic said about breaking the NBA record. "After my career, I'm gonna look back while on the porch drinking beers and tell lies to my kids."

Of course, the assists stack up for Jokic because of how often he has the ball in his hands, but his skill is truly on another level.

Jokic is also having one of the best statistical seasons by a center ever, as the three-time NBA MVP is now averaging 29.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game with hyper-efficient 61.2/42.6/84.0 shooting splits. Jokic is well on his way to winning the fourth MVP award of his career and becoming the first player in league history to finish top two in MVP voting in six consecutive seasons.

This was an incredible and historic night for Jokic, as the Nuggets legend continues to cement himself among the league's greatest.

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Logan Struck
LOGAN STRUCK

Logan Struck is a writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's On SI since 2023

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