Denver Nuggets Center Nikola Jokic had one of the best games in league history on Tuesday night at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He scored a whopping 61 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 2 OT thriller Denver lost 140-139. Jokic’s performance was wasted as it was the first 60+ point triple-double loss in NBA history.
He also joined NBA legends James Harden and Luka Doncic as the only players with 60-point triple-doubles in league history. Jokic was a workhorse playing 53 of 58 possible minutes. He played 40 consecutive minutes from the middle of the second quarter onwards. Jokic is putting together another MVP-caliber campaign. He is third in the league in points, third in rebounds, second in assists, and eighth in field goal percentage. Will Jokic continue playing well as the Denver Nuggets eye a deep playoff run?
Denver Nuggets Season Summary
Denver is the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a 47-29 record. Jokic has been as good as ever, but the issue has been the team’s supporting cast. Russell Westbrook cannot be counted on in the Playoffs and Jamal Murray, while a proven playoff performer, should be expected to continue having historic postseason runs. The issue for the team is a lack of depth on the roster.
Denver’s offense, led by Jokic, has been great this year. They are third in points scored, leading the league in field goal percentage, and fourth in three-point percentage. The issue for the Denver Nuggets has been their defense. They are 24th in points allowed, 14th in opposing field goal percentage, and 20th in opposing three-point percentage. Denver’s defense must be better for the team to reach its full potential.
Final Thoughts
Jokic and the Nuggets return to the court at home tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. Even though he will probably not win the NBA MVP this year, Jokic has been better than ever. Denver must play well over their final six regular season games to earn better seeding in a jumbled Western Conference.
