Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic made playoff history on Friday and Saturday after playing more than 60 minutes in their four-overtime Game 3 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Jokic logged the most minutes by any player in a postseason game since 1953. The Nuggets star featured for roughly 65 minutes, finishing with a triple-double of 33 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists.
Nuggets' Nikola Jokic (63 minutes played & counting) has logged the most minutes by any player in an NBA playoff game since 1953. pic.twitter.com/FIUpSheR6c
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 4, 2019
Per Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press, Nikola Jokic just came up two minutes short of the playoff record for longest playing time in the postseason. Red Rocha and Paul Seymour hold the playoff record for playing 67 minutes in the NBA's first-ever 4OT game between the Syracuse Nationals and Boston Celtics 66 years ago.
Celtics legend Bob Cousy, meanwhile, played 66 minutes in that game.
Unfortunately for The Joker, playing that long wasn't enough to help the Nuggets take down the Blazers. Portland went on to win the contest 140-137. To make things worse for the Serbian big man, he missed the first of his two free throws that would have tied the match 138-all with 5.6 seconds left in the clock.
CJ McCollum led the Blazers with 41 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard had 28 to make what could have been a memorable night for Jokic into one he would likely want to forget.
Follow Us
Subscribe