Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic stuffed the stat sheet against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Jokic had a triple-double performance with 19 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists, and three blocks to lead the Nuggets to a 115-108 win at the Pepsi Center in Denver. It was a rare stat line in the league. Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird was the last player to record such feat in 1982 and 1987.
Nikola Jokic filled the box score on Tuesday, compiling 19 PTS, 14 REB, 15 AST, and 3 BLK. The last player to reach all of those levels in a game was Larry Bird, who did so twice (1982, 1987). pic.twitter.com/yjPX7SsBS3
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 2, 2019
Jokic also did the dirty work for the Nuggets, particularly in the fourth period. He saved a possession for Denver with 1:21 left to play when he managed to throw the ball to an opposing player while he was going out of bounds. He also threw a no-look pass to Malik Beasley with 37 seconds left in the game to seal the victory.
“That's what he does,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said of Jokic's big night via The Denver Post. “I'd say the 15 assists. They were blitzing, they were very aggressive in pick-and-rolls. When teams are putting two on the ball you gotta make quick decisions.”
Jokic is having another solid season for the Nuggets. He has three triple-double games this season, and has been on a tear since December. He averaged 20.9 points on top of 10.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists in their last 13 games.
Malik Beasley also had a productive night for Denver, as he finished with 23 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Veteran forward Paul Millsap was a spark plug off the bench, tallying 16 points and nine boards. Torrey Craig added 13 points for the Nuggets, who shot 46.3 percent from the field.
With the win, the Nuggets remained on top of the Western Conference standings with their 24-11 record. Denver will look to extend their three-game winning streak when they face the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center on Thursday night.
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