CHICAGO (AP) — Nikola Jokic got another game ball from his Denver Nuggets teammates after yet another triple-double. This one, though, was a bit more special than the others.
It made some NBA history.
Jokic had 22 points, 17 assists and 14 rebounds to pass Oscar Robertson for No. 2 on the league’s career list with his 182nd regular-season triple-doubles, leading the Nuggets to a 136-120 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
“He is a legendary player,” Jokic said of Robertson, who was the first player to average a triple-double in a full season in 1961-62. “Any player who steps into this league knows he’s a global legend.”
The three-time NBA MVP and eight-time All-Star is making his own mark on the game, too. The triple-double was Jokic’s 19th this season and second in as many games. He trails only Russell Westbrook, who has 207, on the career list. Westbrook (four), Jokic (two) and Robertson (one) are the only NBA players to average triple-doubles in a season.
Nuggets coach David Adelman, who had been with the organization since Jokic’s third season in 2017, said he still catches himself being amazed by the 6-foot-11 Serbian center.
“When your center gets 17 assists in a game — that just doesn’t happen,” Adelman said. “Unless it’s him.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable what he’s done.”
Teammate Jamal Murray said he expects even more from Jokic, who’ll turn 31 on Feb. 19.
“He’s got a lot of that left,” he said. “It’s going to be a Usain Bolt record when he sets it. He’s going to have that for a long time.”
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