The Jokers wild!
Even by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic’s insanely lofty standards, his masterpiece on Tuesday night was something special to behold that we have never seen before.
Jokic dominated, putting up 61 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but it was not quite enough to prevent the Denver Nuggets from falling to their nemesis, the Minnesota Timberwolves, for the sixth straight time, 140-139 in a double overtime thriller.
Jokic’s 61 points are the most scored in a triple-double in NBA history and marks a new career-high for the big man, while it is also the most points any player has scored in a game this season.
The Serbian sensation also becomes only the second player in NBA history, after the ‘Big Dipper’, Wilt Chamberlain in 1963, to lose a game when posting at least 50 points in a triple-double, according to ESPN.
“Nikola came up to me after the third quarter and said, ‘Coach, I’m good. Leave me in there. I don’t want to come out. Let me just keep playing,'” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said afterward. “He was in a good rhythm, obviously, 61 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds, 2 steals. The guy is Superman.”
Said Jokic: “Coach asked me a couple times [if I wanted to come out] but I was feeling good.”
It is not the first time Jokic has recorded a historic triple-double within the last month, after posting the first 30-20-20 triple-double in league history against the struggling Phoenix Suns in early March.
A wild ending to the contest concluded with the cousin of MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nickeil Alexander-Walker hitting two free throws to seal the win for Minnesota.
Embed from Getty ImagesMoments earlier, Russell Westbrook had stolen the ball back for the Nuggets but then missed a transition layup. Westbrook then compounded the mistake and fouled Alexander-Walker on a three-point attempt at the other end as the game clock expired, giving the Timberwolves guard three free throws to win the game.
Alexander-Walker made the first two and then attentionally missed the third to ensure the clock expired again with just 0.2 seconds remaining.
“I feel awful for him,” Malone said of Westbrook. “When you put forth that kind of an effort, you put so much into and you don’t get the result, I just feel bad for our guys.
“It never comes down to who deserves to win, but our guys did everything within their power to win that game and it didn’t go our way.
“We’ve just got to regroup and find a way to get one tomorrow night.”
Jokic’s record-breaking night further put credence to his MVP credentials and again highlighted the frequent lack of help he endures on a consistent basis. Though fellow Nuggets star Aaron Gordon did contribute 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists on the night in the losing effort.
For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards was just two assists shy of a triple-double of his own, scoring a team-high 34 points to go with 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Julius Randle and Alexander-Walker had 26 points each as six Minnesota players hit double figures.
The Timberwolves have now won three consecutive games to climb to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference as they attempt to avoid the play-in, while the Nuggets remain the No. 3 seed.
