Nikola Jokić stuffed the stat sheet in a way never before seen in NBA history on Friday.
In a 149-141 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets superstar posted a 30-20-20 game, an unprecedented stat line perfectly in line with his all-time great passing ability as a big man. To be more precise he finished with 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting, 22 assists and 21 rebounds in 45 minutes.
Plus three steals for good measure. He particularly took in over in overtime, either scoring or assisting on seven of Denver’s eight field goals. Overall, he was responsible in some way for 35 of their 57 field goals on Friday, plus nearly half of their 43 rebounds.
Jokić not only posted a new kind of triple-double, he also broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most assists by a center, which previously sat at 21. The overall record remains Scott Skiles with 30, set in 1990.
That performance saved the Nuggets from an embarrassing loss to the 29-34 Suns. Denver led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, but a furious comeback by the Suns forced overtime and nearly cost the Nuggets major ground in the battle for second place in the Western Conference.
