Its hard to argue that Nikola Jokic isnt the MVP after this one.
In the Nuggets 140-139 double-overtime loss to the Timberwolves, the Joker made history by posting the third 60-point triple-double in league history. He joins elite company alongside Luka Doncic and James Harden, the first two players to achieve the illustrious feat.
Jokic finished with a statline of 61 points, 10 assists and 10 boards. He shot 62% from the field on an efficient 18-29 night, drained six triples and was money at the free throw, cashing in on 19 of his 24 attempts.
To top it off, Jokic dropped this statline while being guarded by Rudy Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Another masterclass and vintage Jokic performancethat wasnt enough to get the dub.
Denver, without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. put up a fight against a fully-healthy Timberwolves team. Aaron Gordon dropped 30 points, while Christian Braun posted a double-double, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Russell Westbrook added 12 points, six rebounds and dished out seven assists off the bench.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 34 points, while Julius Randle and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each finished with 26 points. Gobert and Edwards both logged double-doubles, finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds and 34 points and 10 rebounds respectively.
Both teams battled for the first three quarters, with neither team establishing a double-digit lead at any point in the game. In the fourth quarter, a Jokic and-one gave Denver an 11-point lead with just over six minutes remaining.
However, the TWolves battled back. Edwards made a three and dished out two assists for a Gobert dunk and Randle triple to cut the lead to five. He then scored eight consecutive Minnesota points to gain a three-point lead. But after Edwards turned the ball over on an offensive foul, the Joker went back to work.
Down two, Jokic drew a foul and calmly sank two pressure free throws to send the game to overtime.
In the first extra period, Jokic played hero-ball again. Down two with 12 seconds to play, the Joker was matched up with Edwards. He bullied his way down low and calmly drained a floater to tie the game at 125 apiece.
In the second overtime period, the madness began. Jokic split a pair of free throws to give the Nuggets a 139-138 lead with 17 seconds left. Denvers defense double-teamed Edwards, who threw the ball way, initiating a 2-on-1 fast-break. Braun dimed Westbrook, who missed the fast-break layup, sending Minnesota sprinting the other way.
In scramble mode, Edwards split a sea of Nuggets defenders and found Alexander-Walker wide-open on the wing. Westbrook closed out hard and fouled on the shot just as the buzzer sounded.
As chaos ensued, the referees reviewed the call and upheld the foul call, giving Alexander-Walker a chance to win the game with three free throws. He drilled the first two before intentionally missing the third to seal the game.
Edwards summed up what all NBA fans were thinking. That mightve been the best game of my life that Ive ever been a part of, he said after the win.
Jokic is now averaging 29.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists on the season. He is within the top three in averages per game for all three statistical categories. With six games left in the regular season, Jokic seems poised for finishing the regular season out averaging a triple-double and would become the third player ever to do so, joining an exclusive club with Westbrook and Oscar Robertson.
With the MVP race essentially becoming a two-man contest between Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokics performance has certainly made a statement for bringing the Serbian big man his fourth MVP trophy in his illustrious 10-year career.
