Nikola Jokic became only the second player in history to record 40+ points, 25+ REB, and 10+ AST in a game on Sunday night, as the two time MVP set a career high for rebounds in Nuggets win.
Jokic managed an astonishing 20 rebounds in the first half against Charlotte, with the Serbian tying for second in the all time record for boards during one half.
The Denver star only continued his domination of the game during the second half, as Jokic went on to score 40 points, 27 rebounds alongside 10 assists to earn his fifth triple-double of the season so far.
40 PTS, 27 REB, 10 AST, 2 STL
A historic performance by the Joker. pic.twitter.com/EZYoeObkpx
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) December 19, 2022
The only other player to record at least 37 points, 27 rebounds and 10 assists in a single game was the legendary Wilt Chamberlain back in 1968.
It was rather fitting that Jokic would win the game for the Nuggets after his exceptional performance and ‘the Joker’ did just that as he stepped up to the free throw line to score two points with just 13 seconds left on the clock – sealing the victory for Denver.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone spoke after the game about his star player’s performance on Sunday, saying that he didn’t realise quite how high Jokic was scoring.
“I didn’t know it was a 40-27-10 night but I knew he was having another Nikola Jokic stellar performance, efficient.
Jokic has 20 REBOUNDS and it's only halftime 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zQp09ufJv3
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 19, 2022
“And it’s not just about Nikola. It’s about his ability to make every one of his teammates better. Yeah, Nikola is a generational talent.”
Jokic said post match that he wasn’t chasing rebounds against the Hornets and they just came to him.
“It’s not that I was grabbing for them or whatever, chasing for them. It just happened, you know? I wish it could be every night, to be honest.”
Jokic is now fourth favourite for MVP this season and the Serbian superstar will be looking to cement himself as a contender for this years award when the Nuggets take on the Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
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