Nikola Jokic tallies first-ever 30-20-20 game in NBA history

Nikola Jokic produced a
performance like never before seen in the history of the league
when he poured in the first 30-point, 20-rebound, and 20-assist
game in the Nuggets’ 149-141 win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday at
the Ball Arena in Denver.

The three-time NBA MVP had a
monster video game-like stat line of 31 points, 21 rebounds, and 22
assists to increase his triple-double count to a league-leading 29
this season.

Jokic’s 22 assists were also the
most in NBA history by a center according to ESPN Stats, surpassing
Wilt Chamberlain.

The performance was only the 3rd
time in NBA history that a player had more than 20 points, 20
rebounds, and 20 assists in a single game. Chamberlain did it first
in 1968 while Jokic’s current teammate Russell Westbrook notably
had a 20-20-20 in 2019 when he was still with Oklahoma
City.

More importantly, Jokic led
Denver to a win and gained up on the Lakers in their race for the
second seed in the Western Conference standings.