Nikola Jokic Posts First 30-20-20 Stat Line in Pro Basketball History
Last night, Nikola Jokic posted historic numbers--31 points, 22 assists, 21 rebounds--as his Denver Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 149-141 in overtime. Jokic dominated the overtime with five points, five assists, three rebounds, and one steal. This is not only the first 30-20-20 stat line in pro basketball history, but Jokic broke Wilt Chamberlain's 47 year old record for single game assists by a center (Chamberlain had 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers in a 131-121 win versus the Detroit Pistons on February 2, 1968). Jokic joined his teammate Russell Westbrook and Chamberlain as the only three players in pro basketball history to have a 20-20-20 game. This was Jokic's seventh 15-15-15 game this season and the 14th of his career, tying two Oscar Robertson records.
It is unfortunate that the NBA and its media partners ignore ABA numbers when discussing all-time records, but it should be noted that Julius Erving had 26 points, 20 rebounds, and 15 assists in a 138-91 playoff victory versus Rick Barry's New York Nets on April 13, 1972. Erving was a rookie when he accomplished that feat, and--as far as I can determine--Jokic is the only other player in pro basketball history to notch a 26-20-15 game (in addition to last night's performance, Jokic had a 35-22-17 game versus Sacramento on January 23, 2025).
Jokic now has 29 triple doubles in 2024-25, matching his career-high for a season, and tying for sixth on the all-time single season list behind Westbrook (42 in 2016-17), Robertson (41 in 1961-62), Westbrook (38 in 2020-21), Westbrook (34 in 2018-19), and Chamberlain (31 in 1967-68). Side note: as long as you are not brainwashed by Amin Elhassan and Zach Harper or LeBron James' p.r. man Dave "Vampire" McMenamin, you understand that Westbrook is an all-time great.
The prevailing media narrative seems to be that Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will win the 2024-25 regular season MVP award. Gilgeous-Alexander is having a great season for the West-leading 52-11 Thunder; he ranks first in the NBA in scoring (career-high 32.8 ppg), second in steals (1.8 spg), and eighth in free throw percentage (.898). Gilgeous-Alexander has no skill set weaknesses, and there is nothing negative to say about his game--but Jokic is nearly averaging a triple double and he is poised to become the first player in pro basketball history to rank in the top three in scoring (28.9 ppg, third), rebounding (12.9 rpg, third), and assists (10.6 apg, second). I explained my MVP criteria in an article handicapping the 2017 MVP race, and my MVP criteria remain the same: "My philosophy about the MVP award remains unchanged; the MVP should be the best all-around player in the league, unless there is a player who is so singularly dominant in one or two phases of the game that this dominance makes him more valuable than the league's best all-around player at that time. So, Shaquille O'Neal should have won several MVPs (instead of just one) even though he was never the best all-around player in the league; his dominance in the paint made him more valuable than anyone else during his prime."
O'Neal averaged more than 28.9 ppg three times in his 19 season career, and he averaged more than 12.9 rpg three times; he exceeded both of those numbers in the same season just twice, and in one of those seasons (2000-01) he captured his lone regular season MVP. Jokic is putting up "Shaq-like" numbers as a dominant big man and he is the best all-around player in the league as signified by his scoring/rebounding/passing excellence, so I would designate him as the clear choice for 2024-25 MVP--not based on one game, but based on his season-long triple double dominance.
Labels: Denver Nuggets, Julius Erving, Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Oscar Robertson, Phoenix Suns, Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Virginia Squires, Wilt Chamberlain
posted by David Friedman @ 11:11 PM
1 Comments:
I watched a lot of the games in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s rookie season because it was Ralph Lawyer’s final season as a broadcaster. I was very impressed with how poised and fearless he was in the clutch for a rookie and I was slightly surprised that the Clippers included him in the package for Paul George. I didn’t think he would become one of the best players in the league but I knew he could easily become a perennial all-star, top 15 player in the league. It appears that the stars are aligning for him to win MVP and while he is a worthy candidate, I think voter fatigue will be the biggest factor in him winning and Jokic not winning. The narrative surrounding Gilgeous-Alexander is just so appealing to the media and it will generate a lot more buzz than giving yet another MVP to Jokic regardless of whether or not he deserves it, which he does.
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