It is just like riding a bike, you do not forget how to do what you do.
Denver Nuggets superstar and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic joined a VIP group with his triple-double stat line against the undermanned Milwaukee Bucks. The future Hall-of-Fame big man is having another MVP level season and perhaps his best statistical year yet. Jokic is currently averaging 29.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. The 30-year-old was dominant on Wednesday night after missing time with an ankle injury, putting up 39, 10, 10 against the Bucks as the Nuggets moved to 46-28 overall with a 127-117 win.
According to Nuggets reporter Joel Rush, this performance marked the sixth time in NBA history a player has recorded 30+ triple-doubles in a season. Jokic’s teammate Russell Westbrook reached this unbelievable milestone three times, and Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain both accomplished this feat once.
The Western Conference playoff race is at a fever pitch, and the Nuggets will need Jokic to maintain his form down the stretch. Denver currently sits third in the West and a game and a half behind the second-seeded surging Houston Rockets. However, there are several teams right behind Jokic and company. The Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies are tied in the loss column with the Nuggets, while the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves are right on their heels by a few games.
Denver can spiral all the way down to No. 8 if they are not careful and end the season in a slump, which is not out of the realm of possibilities with the eleventh-hardest schedule remaining.
Fortunately for them, only eight games are left on their schedule, and if this team stays afloat, they have all the ingredients to make a deep playoff run. The Nuggets have the championship metal and experience and are hungry to regain their success from two years ago. The key will be if ‘Robin’ Jamal Murray can duplicate the form he displayed in 2023 versus the Miami Heat in the Finals. The good news is the star point guard is growing into this season and has a lengthy history of rising to the occasion and elevating his performance when Denver needs it most. With the limited supporting cast the Nuggets have, they need their second option to be at his very best.
Overall, as this franchise looks to the future, it is important to appreciate Jokic while he is still in his prime and competing at this level. The former second-round pick, 41st overall, has earned the label of the greatest European player ever, and his cement is still dry. Jokic and the Nuggets are on a mission to prove that they are not a one-hit wonder. And if they are successful in doing so, the NBA might have another dynasty on their hands.
