Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic moved past Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and into third place on the career list for triple-doubles by recording his 139th in a 126-114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic trails only Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson on the NBA’s career triple-doubles list
Jokic, 29, ended his outing with 27 points, 20 rebounds, 11 assists, and three steals in 38 minutes of action. Despite missing all three 3-point attempts, he finished 13-of-26 (50%) shooting from the field.
However, the Nuggets struggled to defend the Cavs, allowing them to make a season-high 22 3-pointers and improve to a league-best 20-3 for the season.
Jokic now trails only teammate Russell Westbrook (200) and Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (181) on the career triple-doubles list. LeBron James (118) is fifth, followed by Jason Kidd (107) and Wilt Chamberlain (78).
Congrats to Nikola Jokić of the @nuggets for moving to 3rd on the all-time TRIPLE-DOUBLES list! pic.twitter.com/2iR8f4GxM6
— NBA (@NBA) December 6, 2024
“It’s something that you’re probably going to look at after you finish your career,” said Jokic, leads the NBA with nine triple-doubles this season. “Right now, you don’t even think about it. But it’s a great thing. It’s really nice.”
Jokic passed Johnson in the fourth quarter, picking up his 10th assist on a pass to Michael Porter Jr., who dropped a 3-pointer from the wing with 3:37 left.
When the game ended and he reached the locker room, Jokic was presented with a game ball for passing Johnson. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray kept it simple when asked about his teammate’s greatness.
“You see it with his work ethic,” said Murray, who had 19 points. “His touches continue to amaze me. He does everything on the court with a great attitude and has a will to win. What else?”
Jokic leads the NBA this season in player efficiency rating, win shares, box plus/minus, and offensive box plus/minus
Although it was a memorable night for Jokic, coach Michael Malone was more focused on Denver’s pitiful defensive effort against Cleveland. The Cavs made a season-high 22 3-pointers and extended their streak of making at least 10 3s to a franchise-record 28 games dating to last season.
“We just got our butts kicked,” Malone said. “Obviously, I love Nikola, and I feel very fortunate to coach a player with his talent and he’ll go down as one of the best to ever do it. I’m happy to hear that, I really am.
“But I’m so much more concerned about our team right now and where we’re at. It’s not so much that we lost tonight. I knew coming in here would be a tall order. I just don’t like how we lost and there is a big difference.”
Through 17 games (all starts), Jokic is averaging career highs of 29.9 points, 10.4 assists, 1.8 steals, and 37.7 minutes per contest while shooting 5.9% from the field, a career-best 50% from 3-point range, and 81.7% at the foul line.
In addition to triple-doubles, Jokic currently leads the NBA this season in player efficiency rating (32.1), win shares (17), box plus/minus (13.5), and offensive box plus/minus (10.4).
The Nuggets visit the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
