Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic is now in company all by himself. The two-time NBA MVP has already proven himself to be a dominating figure during the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
That was taken to a whole new level during Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat Wednesday night.
En route to leading Denver to a road win and a 2-1 lead in the series, Jokic made some history. He became the first player in NBA Finals history to record a 30-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist triple-double.
While it must be noted that blocks were not an official statistic when Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell were doing their thing, this is still an astonishing stat.
Whether it was passing out of double teams to find wide-open Nuggets teammates, nailing three-pointers or dominating in the paint, the Joker was absolutely on one.
When Jokic is playing at this level, the Denver Nuggets are going to be hard to defeat. That became clear as he led the team to a 109-94 win after Denver lost its first home game of the playoffs Sunday evening.
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Nikola Jokic stats (Game 2): 32 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, 12-of-21 shooting
Through the first three games of the 2023 NBA Finals, Jokic is averaging 33.3 points, 13.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists per outing.
Miami was able to steal Game 2 in Denver despite Nikola Jokic going for 41 points. That’s primarily because the Heat were able to hold him to four assists while the center committed five turnovers.
Jokic and the Nuggets can now take complete control of this series in Game 4 against Miami on Friday night. If what we saw Wednesday evening is any indication, he’ll be more than up to the task.