Just when you think you have seen it all, the ‘Joker’ does something remarkable. He outdid himself this time.
Nikola Jokic started his own club and became the first player in NBA history to amass 30 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists in a game, then he blew past those records to finish with 31, 21 and 22 as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns in a 149-141 overtime thriller Friday at Ball Arena.
“Nikola Jokic is one of one,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
“I mean, the first player to ever have a 30, 20 and 20 game. I can’t describe him, so don’t ask me to. The guy is just an incredible player, and when you are one of one in this league and the tremendous history of this league, that says a lot. And there’s a lot of good players in this league, but Nikola, in my opinion, is just in a class well by himself.”
The fourth quarter ended in unbelievable fashion. Devin Booker gave Phoenix their first lead since the opening quarter with 1:35 to go, capping an 8-0 run. The Nuggets failed twice to score, but Michael Porter Jr. refused to go down without a fight and wrestled away a steal from Mason Plumlee under the basket with 33.3 seconds left, scoring off the glass to tie the game. Denver got a stop then ran their patented pick-and-roll between Jamal Murray and Jokic for the win. But the topic of who takes the last shot for the Nuggets is more refined than that.
Christian Braun, who is averaging 15 points this season, was the open man at the top of the key after Phoenix sold out to stop Jokic on the roll. So, the ball found Braun. His 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining was the shot of his short NBA career, until the Nuggets lost the ‘Slim Reaper’, Kevin Durant in the weak-side corner on Phoenix’s last-gasp out of bounds play. The future first ballot Hall of Famer came through in the clutch at the buzzer with ice water in his veins.
The five-minute overtime was a bit less dramatic. The trio of Jokic, Murray and Braun scored the first seven points, and all that was left was for Jokic to cement a historic stat line. He did it with 1:18 left to play, finding a cutting Michael Porter Jr. for his 20th assist. Then for good measure, he added two more assists on the Nuggets’ next two possessions.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe three-time MVP, who is battling for his fourth with the Thunders Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, tied his career-high with his 29th triple-double of the season. He locked this one up early, with 10:22 remaining in the third quarter. If he plays all 19-remaining regular-season games, he is on pace to finish with 39, which would be three shy of teammate Russell Westbrook’s all-time single-season record of 42.
Jokic has also assisted 15 or more baskets in 10 games this season. His 22 were career-high and only eight away from the record set by Scott Skiles as a member of the Orlando Magic. It paid off that none of his teammates could miss against Phoenix’s bottom-five defense. Aaron Gordon set the tone with Denver’s wildest heat check of the season. He drained four outside shots in the first six minutes, pulling up from the wings and infecting his teammates with the same energy and confidence. All eight players who earned playing time for Denver made at least one shot from downtown. Porter, ironically, was the last to do so. The Nuggets made 21 of 40 shots beyond the arc as a team.
They shared the ball beautifully, assisting on 45 of 57 made baskets from the field.
But their defense got worse throughout the night. Booker got hot after a scoreless first quarter, scoring a game-high 34 points on 19 shot attempts. Braun committed a cardinal sin by fouling him on a jumper to hand Phoenix a 4-point play with 5:13 to go, cutting the lead to five, 117-112. Earlier in the fourth, Michael Malone had lost his patience with his bench as the Suns paraded to the foul line, sending Jokic to the scorers’ table with 9:01 left.
Braun had 25 points, five rebounds and five assists on 8-of-11 from the field. Gordon matched a career-high with seven triples, scoring 27 points. It was a balanced scoring attack. Each of Denver’s starters put up at least 16 points on 50% shooting or better.
Former Nuggets two-way guard Collin Gillespie appeared in his 14th game this season for Phoenix, fresh off a heroic 10-point fourth quarter Tuesday that led the Suns back from being down 19.
“I think there were a lot of guys in that locker room that were really happy for Collin,” Malone said pregame. “… What really resonated was the comments after the (Suns vs. Clippers) game from a guy like Kevin Durant. … After that previous loss, Collin was one of the loudest voices in that locker room. Here’s a guy who’s on a two-way contract with some of the biggest stars in the game, and Collin is a natural-born leader. So obviously, we love him. We miss him. We’re happy when he has success against other teams.”
Peyton Watson, in his second game back from a knee sprain that sidelined him for the entire month of February, contributed 11 points and a block off the bench. Malone played him at the two in one huge lineup that included Porter, Zeke Nnaji and Jokic as its frontcourt.
