How Nikola Jokic Made NBA History vs Suns

Nikola Jokic ties Wilt Chamberlain for most playoff triple-doubles by a center in the Denver Nuggets 118-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns

In the Phoenix Suns’ 118-102 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5, Nikola Jokic made history.

He recorded his ninth playoff triple-double, tying Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles in the playoffs by a center.

Nikola Jokic has his ninth career playoff triple-double. That matches Wilt Chamberlain for the most by a center in NBA history, per @ESPNStatsInfo.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 6, 2023

Jokic is already a two-time MVP, and he is beginning to etch his name in the likes of the best centers of all time.

In this series Jokic is averaging a triple-double of 35 points, 13.8 rebounds and 10 assists seeming virtually unstoppable. He's registered a triple-double in his last two of three games (the lone game he didn't he dropped 53 points). 

He also became the first player in playoff history to total 175+ points, 65+ rebounds and 50+ assists over a 5-game span while becoming the second player in NBA history with 300 points, 100 rebounds and 75 assists through his first 10 games of a postseason, joining Oscar Robertson in 1963 (ESPN STATS AND INFO). 

“Good question,” Devin Booker said on how to stop Jokic. “We are trying to figure it out. It is tough, man; he can make sure everyone is involved at the same time. So, you don’t want to overhelp because then he will spread it out and they are shooting threes on the backside. If you leave the matchup there one-on-one, he is going to make you pay for it. 

"We are just always talking about making it hard, making it tough, trying to wear him down. He is doing all that offensively, at the same time on defense he is up on all of our screens. He is playing out of his mind; he is doing what he does.”

Jokic is such an unorthodox player with a unique set of skills which makes him so great - and impossible to play against.

“Man, he is ridiculous,” Kevin Durant said about Jokic after Game 4. “I felt like all those shots were easy shots. He just played the game at a pace where you can’t speed him up, fluster him; he is strong, he can make every shot. I hate when he makes shots, he is so unorthodox. 

"It’s like, ‘Oh yeah that is a miss’, then it goes straight in. He is incredible. I thought he carried them all night tonight scoring the ball. Him and Jamal (Murray) do a good job in that pick and roll. It is so hard to stop. We just play extremely hard. You are not going to stop these guys; they are efficient players. We just played hard. I think that made up for it.”

The one thing Jokic does not have yet is an NBA championship. The Nuggets are one game away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals, so Game 6 will be a big test for both Jokic and the Suns.