By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic etched his name deeper into the NBA record books on Wednesday, becoming just the fourth player in league history to reach the monumental plateau of 20,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 6,000 assists, and 1,000 three-pointers. This historic individual achievement served as the backdrop for a resilient team performance, as the Denver Nuggets overcame the early loss of Jamal Murray to secure a dominant 103–84 victory over the Boston Celtics at Ball Arena.
The 31-year-old Serbian superstar navigated a challenging shooting environment against Boston’s elite perimeter defenders, finishing with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. While Jokic struggled with efficiency, shooting 11-of-28 from the field and 4-of-13 from deep, his sheer presence and glass-cleaning allowed Denver to dictate the tempo. The win was a testament to the team’s defensive evolution under David Adelman, despite Murray exiting after just eight minutes due to illness.
“It was a tough game against a good defensive team. They are challenging multiple actions, and I think we did a good job today. Usually, we win with the offense, but today we won with the defense,” recapped Jokic in a postgame interview.
Complementing the Joker’s historic night, Lithuanian backup center Jonas Valanciunas provided a crucial spark, contributing 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting in limited minutes.
On the opposing side, Portuguese starting center Neemias Queta had 10 points. European bench options went from Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez packing four points and three rebounds to Montenegro’s Nikola Vucevic settling with two points and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Luka Garza falling scoreless. Ukrainian Max Shulga and British Amari Williams were in action with the G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics.