The Denver Nuggets have been on a warpath during the 2023 NBA playoffs. Despite entering the postseason coming off an uneven string of performances, the Nuggets have righted the ship at exactly the most opportune time. And now, thanks to monstrous efforts from both Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Nuggets are only two wins away from achieving something they haven't yet in the franchise's 56-year history (ABA included).
In fact, Jokic and Murray were simply on another level. Jokic tallied 32 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Murray did not want to be outdone, notching 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, with the two stars combining to power the Nuggets to a 109-94 victory over the Miami Heat.
As if their greatness wasn't apparent enough, here are some of the most insane facts about the Nuggets duo's otherworldly performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to put things in greater perspective.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are the first duo in NBA history to tally a 30-point triple-double in the same game
Many roll their eyes towards triple-double these days, thanks to Russell Westbrook. Before Westbrook's explosion as one of the league's greatest stat-sheet stuffers in 2016, triple-doubles used to be a rare sight. But now, the triple-double has become such a more common occurrence that it has lost its luster.
But Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray may be bringing back the mystique of the triple double after such a historic performance.
The NBA has been around since 1946, and yet no other pair of teammates has tallied a triple-double in the same game until May 7, 2023 when the Nuggets' duo simply gave the Heat a puzzle they had no way of solving. Moreover, Jokic and Murray have become just the second duo to put up a triple-double in the same game in the playoffs, joining the likes of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green who also accomplished the feat back in 2019.
When one talks about the best duos in NBA history, the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and Magic Johnson and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar come to mind. But those duos have never accomplished the aforementioned feat, which is simply a testament to how magnificent the Nuggets duo's stat-sheet stuffing ways were in Game 3.
Nikola Jokic's ability to fill it up shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone anymore; entering Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals, the Nuggets star has already put up 120 triple-doubles in his career, regular season and playoffs combined. But it's Jamal Murray pitching in 10 rebounds and 10 assists of his own in addition to a game-high 34 points that comes as a mild shock, as Murray has put up just a single triple-double in his professional career thus far to that point.
Given the pedigree of the superstars that have come before this Nuggets duo, being the first to accomplish this is no mean feat. Some may try to discredit this feat by saying that the NBA's pace has skyrocketed, giving way for more opportunities to fill the stat sheet. But according to StatMuse, the Nuggets and Heat's Game 3 tilt was played at a pace of 90.52; for reference, the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2000 NBA Finals played in a series with 91.57 pace.
The skill level in the NBA keeps on growing, and Jokic and Murray are living proofs of that.
The Joker becomes first player in NBA Finals history to record a 30-20-10 night
After dropping 32 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists, Nikola Jokic became the first player in NBA history to tally a 30-20-10 game in the NBA Finals. That is nothing to sniff at; the likes of LeBron James and Magic Johnson — two of the greatest triple-double threats of all time — have played in a lot of NBA Finals series, and yet they never quite accomplished this feat.
Meanwhile, given the nature of the statistics involved in the most common form of a triple-double, centers are the most likely to breach these statistical benchmarks. Even then, Nikola Jokic stands tall above the rest. The likes of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan — five proud NBA champions and legends of the game — have never reached this kind of statistical excellence in the grandest stage of the postseason.
In fact, Jokic is the only player in NBA history to tally multiple 30-20-10 triple-double games in postseason history, with Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar each tallying one to form one of the most elite playoff statistical clubs.
Nikola Jokic's legend keeps on growing. It's unfathomable how Jokic lost out to Joel Embiid in the MVP race this past regular season due to how elite he has been all throughout the playoffs. And the Nuggets star is not yet finished in his quest for history.
Jamal Murray joins elite company of his own
When the name Jamal Murray comes to mind, playmaking isn't exactly the first skill that many tend to associate with him. But the Nuggets guard is showing that he is an elite passer of the basketball in his own right.
Jamal Murray joined Magic Johnson as the only two players in NBA history to put up 10 or more assists in three straight Finals games; again, it must bear mentioning that a ton of elite passers have played in the NBA Finals in the past, so this is nothing to scoff at.
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