By Eurohoops / info@eurohoops.net
There was plenty of action across the NBA on Sunday night, with several European players in the spotlight.
Nikola Jokic led the way, recording another triple-double as the Denver Nuggets cruised to a 136–120 road win over the Chicago Bulls.
The Serbian center put on a show at the United Center, finishing with 22 points, 17 assists, and 14 rebounds to break his tie with Oscar Robertson for second place on the NBA’s all-time triple-double list.
Jokic now has 182 regular-season triple-doubles, trailing only Russell Westbrook, who leads the list with 207.
“He’s got a lot of that left,” Jamal Murray said of his teammate. “It’s going to be a Usain Bolt record when he sets it. He’s going to have that for a long time.”
The three-time NBA MVP and eight-time All-Star continues to leave his mark on the game. This was Jokic’s 19th triple-double of the season and his second in as many games. Westbrook (four seasons), Jokic (two), and Robertson (one) are the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double over a full season.
“When your center gets 17 assists in a game — that just doesn’t happen,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “Unless it’s him. It’s absolutely unbelievable what he’s done.”
True to form, Jokic downplayed his own achievement after the game, instead praising the legend he surpassed.
“He is a legendary player,” Jokic said of Robertson, the first player to average a triple-double over a full season back in 1961–62. “Any player who comes into this league knows he’s a global legend.”