By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season to four games on Wednesday night at Ball Arena, holding off the Dallas Mavericks 142–135 in a high-scoring affair. Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic made history during the contest, becoming the first center to record 6,000 career assists. The 31-year-old Sombor native entered the night needing eight assists to reach the milestone and hit the mark when he fed Jamal Murray for a layup with 4:56 remaining in the second quarter.
Jokic finished the game with a massive triple-double, posting 23 points, 21 rebounds, and a season-high 19 assists in 38 minutes of action. Despite his historic individual achievement, the Serbian big man remained focused on the collective effort. “I don’t know if it’s beautiful. When we pass around, when we get open looks, it’s beautiful, but I don’t know if it’s really important. I would rather just win games than play beautiful,” he explained during the postgame press conference.
While the Joker facilitated, Jamal Murray provided the scoring punch, finishing with a season-high 53 points on 19-of-28 shooting, including nine three-pointers. Murray’s 33-point first half kept Denver ahead, and Jokic noted the synergy between the two stars: “When Jamal is having that kind of game, you’re just trying to get him open. I know he’s going to take and make shots. So, then when they start blitzing him, it was my turn to get everybody involved or score.”
The victory moves the Nuggets to a 46–28 record, sitting fourth in the Western Conference. Reflecting on his season, which included a return from injury, Jokic evaluated his performance with characteristic honesty. “It was a little bit inconsistent, just because the first time I was coming back from injury,” he said. “The turnovers and good games, bad games, bad missed shots are going to happen, but it was something new for me. I think before injury, I played really, really high-level basketball, and then since injury, it’s so-so.”
The Mavs mounted a late charge, trimming an 11-point deficit to 127–126 with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter. However, Brandon Williams missed two critical free throws that would have tied the game, allowing Denver to pull away. The Joker sparked the final run with an 8-foot floater and an assist to Peyton Watson for a corner three, followed by a Murray step-back jumper to push the lead to ten. On the Dallas side, Greek John Poulakidas registered three points and one rebound in nine minutes of play, while Lithuanian backup Jonas Valanciunas did not see the floor for the Nuggets.
As the 2026 NBA Playoffs presented by Google approach, Jokic dismissed talk of long-term momentum in favor of a game-by-game approach. “I think we are just thinking about the next game and trying to get better. I think when you think about the future, you don’t you’re not concentrated in the moment,” he mentioned.