Nikola Jokic was sitting in front of his locker in the Nuggets’ locker room, quietly looking at his phone, seemingly unimpressed by having made NBA history just 30 minutes earlier. As if it was just another day at the office. But it wasn’t. The three-time NBA MVP achieved the first triple-double in league history with at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists (31+21+22) in the Nuggets’ overtime victory over the Suns (149-141) with 31 points, 21 rebounds and 22 assists (a personal best).
“These things are not supposed to happen,” Jokic told the media. “I was talking to Aaron (Gordon) and he said, ‘It was a quiet 30-20-20’. I told him it probably was true. I think I didn’t do anything special. It just seemed like everything was going well and I was in tune,” he said, trying to downplay his historic performance.
I’ll probably remember it for the rest of my life. It’s just a match. I don’t know what to say, to be honest
But the media insisted on whether he was aware of what he had just done and ‘The Joker’ then did put into perspective what he had achieved: “I’ll probably remember it all my life. It’s just a game. I don’t know what to say, to be honest.” Asked if he would ever tell his grandchildren about this day, he joked: “I would lie to them, no doubt, I would tell them that they did not follow the statistics, that I had more,” and he played down the fact that he was told he was eight assists short of the all-time record held by Scott Skiles: “I have different problems than that right now,” he said.
He already had a triple-double by the start of the third quarter
Jokic tied his franchise record with his 29th triple-double of the season, and he did it just 1:20 into the third quarter with his 10th rebound. He was already flirting with a triple-double in the first quarter, which he finished with 10 points, six assists and six rebounds and had 13, nine and eight at halftime.
He’s an amazing player, there are a lot of good players in this league, but Nikola, in my opinion, is a unique player
“Nikola Jokic is unique,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “I mean, the first player to have a 30, 20 and 20 game. I can’t describe it, so don’t ask me to. He’s an incredible player, and when you’re one of the best in this league and in the tremendous history of this league, that says a lot. And there are a lot of good players in this league, but Nikola, in my opinion, is a unique player.”
Nikola is one of a kind. You will never see anything like it again, never again. You will never see a player do the things he does night after night
His teammate Christian Braun was amazed by the Serbian center’s umpteenth historic display: “He’s one of a kind,” he said. “You’ll never see anything like it again, ever again. You’ll never see a player do the things he does night after night.” And he felt privileged to receive a pass from him to score the three-pointer that broke the game: “To get Jok to throw me the ball and trust me in that moment is really cool.”
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