Los Angeles Lakers veteran Rajon Rondo made a bit of history on Friday, as he helped L.A. to a dominant 126-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Rondo dished out nine assists in the ballgame, which allowed him to overtake the great Michael Jordan in the all-time playoffs assist list.

Rondo could not help but break out a smile after hearing his name mentioned in the same breath as Isiah Thomas and Jordan:

Rajon Rondo was quick to deflect the praise to his teammates, saying how he could not have achieved such a feat had it not been for the teammates he has had the privilege of playing with throughout his tenured career. The 34-year-old acknowledged the honor, but quickly pivoted to how he intends to get back to work as soon as possible. Clearly, Rondo is focused at the task at hand here.

Rondo has been a key player for the Lakers since making his return from injury. The 6-foot-1 guard wasn't able to make his postseaosn debut until Game 1 of the second round. However, he made sure to make up for lost time. Against the Houston Rockets in the semis, Rondo averaged 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in 26.6 minutes off the bench. He's also made 1.6 triples per game on a very efficient 44.4-percent clip.

The four-time All-Star has played a pivotal role for the Lakers, and this was on full display again on Friday against the Nuggets. He could very well serve as this team's X-factor not only in this series, but potentially, in the Finals as well.