Nikola Jokic produced a performance like never before seen in the history of the league when he poured in the first 30-point, 20-rebound, and 20-assist game in the Nuggets’ 149-141 win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday at the Ball Arena in Denver.
The three-time NBA MVP had a monster video game-like stat line of 31 points, 21 rebounds, and 22 assists to increase his triple-double count to a league-leading 29 this season.
Jokic’s 22 assists were also the most in NBA history by a center according to ESPN Stats, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain.
The performance was only the 3rd time in NBA history that a player had more than 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists in a single game. Chamberlain did it first in 1968 while Jokic’s current teammate Russell Westbrook notably had a 20-20-20 in 2019 when he was still with Oklahoma City.
More importantly, Jokic led Denver to a win and gained up on the Lakers in their race for the second seed in the Western Conference standings.