Another night, another triple-double record for Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. With 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in a 130-110 win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday, Jokic has now recorded a triple-double against every team he’s played against.
The only other players to pull off that feat are LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, who have actually done so against every single team, including those they were previously on. (Westbrook even did it twice.) Jokic, of course, would have to leave Denver if he ever wanted to join that exclusive club, but that’s not going to happen any time soon. And if it ever does, it won’t be to chase a statistic.
Jokic almost took care of business in the first half, as he went into the break with 10 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists without missing a shot against the porous Wizards defense. Barely a minute into the second half, he finalized the triple-double and history with a pass to Aaron Gordon for an and-one slam. It was not one of the finest assists you’ll ever see from Jokic, as Gordon did the vast majority of the work, but it was an assist all the same.
Here’s a look at how many triple-doubles Jokic has against each opponent, per DNVR Nuggets.
If registering a triple-double against every other club wasn’t enough, Jokic also surpassed Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles without missing a shot. He now has four such games after a perfect 10-of-10 shooting performance.
This was also Jokic’s fifth game with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists, which ranks fourth all-time. Only Oscar Robertson (15), Chamberlain (six) and Westbrook (six) have more.
For the season, Jokic is now averaging 26 points, 12.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game, and has the Nuggets in a tie for third place in the Western Conference at 37-19. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s the MVP favorite and looks to be on pace to earn the honor for the third time in four seasons.
