Inside The Nuggets

Nikola Jokic Makes NBA History in Nuggets-Wizards

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic had 56 points against the Washington Wizards.
Joey Linn|
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) stands on the court in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) stands on the court in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. | David Richard-Imagn Images

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Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is widely considered the frontrunner for the 2025 NBA MVP award. Already a three-time MVP, Jokic is certainly putting together a strong case for a fourth.

With one of the biggest stat lines of his NBA career on Saturday night against the Washington Wizards, Jokic finished with 56 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists. While this line was not enough to secure a victory against a Wizards team that entered the night having lost 16-straight games, it was a historic game for Jokic.

Per Basketball Reference’s StatHead, Jokic’s performance on Saturday was just the third time in NBA history a player has tallied 56 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists in a game. The other two instances were Elgin Baylor (1959) and Luka Doncic (2022).

While they were without two starters in Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, this was still a very disappointing loss for Denver against the worst team in the NBA. As has often been the case for the Nuggets this season, a monster performance from Jokic was not enough to secure the victory.

In addition to Jokic’s big game, the Nuggets got solid production from Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup. Filling in for Murray, the 17-year veteran finished with seven points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, and four steals in 32 minutes of action. This is the first loss the Nuggets have suffered with Westbrook in the starting lineup (3-1).

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

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.

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