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Nikola Jokic may have lost the MVP race of the season to Joel Embiid but he showed he was just as worthy. In Game 3 against the Phoenix Suns, “The Joker” put up one of the most mind-boggling stats in NBA playoff history.
Jokic played 39 minutes and finished with 30 points, 17 rebounds and 17 assists. The triple-double is the ninth of his career in the postseason, tying the legendary Wilt Chamberlain for the most ever.
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Bill Russell has triple doubles while no one else has more than one. Amazingly, Jokic notched his ninth triple-double in just 55 playoff matches. Chamberlain needed 160 while Russell had 165.
Tonight’s performance by Nikola Jokic makes him the only player to score over 25 points, over 15 assists and over 15 rebounds in a playoff game.
The Serbian basketball star has led the NBA in triples over the past two seasons. He had 19 in the 2020-21 season, and San Antonio Spurs guard DeJaunt Murray is second with 13.
This season, Jokic has been even more impressive. He had 29 triple-double triples, more than double the 14 of second-placed Domantas Sabonis.
After tonight’s staggering base streak, Nikola Jokic is now sixth in NBA playoff history with nine triple-doubles. Draymond Green, Rajon Rondo and Larry Bird are fifth with 10. Jason Kidd is fourth with 11 and Russell Westbrook has 12.
Jokic could easily get past them before the playoffs ended with only Green, the Golden State Warriors forward, giving him competition.
Nikola Jokic was showing off his impressive passing skills in game three against the Phoenix Suns
Nikola Jokic has also provided the most assists by a center in a playoff game since Wilt Chamberlain had 19 assists in 1967.
Two of Jokic’s assists tonight were also terrifically good that even the best point guards might find it hard to match.
Early in the second quarter, a Denver franchise player whipped a coin that didn’t look like it to Bruce Brown who was standing in the corner. The pass surprised everyone, including Cameron Payne who was guarding the Browns and Kevin Durant who saw the ball go past him.
Payne, who was now three paces short of Brown, lunged hard to recover. The Denver Nuggets backup shooting guard took a step forward when Payne looped before nailing an uncontested jumper.
Another great pass from Nikola Jokic occurred late in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets tried to cut down the Phoenix Suns’ lead. This time, it was Michael Porter Jr. who had a great assist.
MPG handed the ball to Jokic at the top of the corkscrew before cutting the ball decisively to the basket. The “Joker” threw a rebound pass accurate enough to get the ball past Devin Booker.
Porter Jr. grabbed it exactly where he needed the ball and delivered a vicious tomahawk at Kevin Durant.
“The Joker”‘s monster stat streak was almost eclipsed by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker’s hot performances. The star duo of the Phoenix Suns managed 86 of their team’s 121 points.
Also read: Watch – Michael Porter Jr. throws a nasty sticker at Kevin Durant in Game 3
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