CNN
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Nikola Jokic broke new ground Thursday by recording another triple-double in the Denver Nuggets’ 122-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The back-to-back MVP scored 15 points with 13 rebounds and 13 assists to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles ever by a center.
Now at 79 for his career, Jokic sits sixth on the all-time list behind LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.
Despite his remarkable achievement, the 27-year-old didn’t get carried away.
“It’s good to be compared to a guy who is probably one of the best of all time,” Jokic said in an on-court interview when asked his opinion on Chamberlain’s passing. .
“It’s kind of a legacy that I leave behind, so that’s good.”
Jokic, in his eighth season in the NBA, started Thursday’s game slowly against the Thunder, scoring just two points in the first half.
However, his Nuggets side came out on top in the second half thanks to an impressive performance from Aaron Gordon, who finished the night with 27 points.
Jamal Murray also added 24 points for the Nuggets, who rebounded from the loss to the LA Lakers.
The Thunder fought back in the third quarter Thursday and led 95-93 going into the fourth, but the Nuggets restored their lead before the end.
“Was it a full 48 minutes? No,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters after the game.
“But the thing I’m most proud of is that even when they were on this huge third quarter run and we just seemed to stop playing all defense and turned the ball over until we were nauseous, we regrouped. We didn’t panic.
The Nuggets host San Antonio Spurs in their next game on Saturday with Jokic chasing down James, who sits fifth on the all-time 105 triple-doubles list.
