Nikola Jokic was a force tonight. He recorded his first triple-double of the season and is now just one shy of passing Wilt Chamberlain.
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The Golden State Warriors recorded their first loss of the season. And it came at the hands of one Nikola Jokic. The Serbian center was in the form of his life. Dishing out key passes and making clutch shots.
He spoiled a near-perfect start for the Warriors. Stephen Curry had a decent night scoring 34 but it wasn’t enough. The Nuggets took a healthy lead by scoring 70 in the first half and the Warriors just couldn’t close the gap.
The Joker was front and center, leading the line. He notched his first triple-double of the season. And made plays that are simply highlight-reel-worthy. He is also closing in on a long-time record.
Also read: Nikola Jovic, Who Has Yet to Complete His High School, Already Passes Like Niokla Jokic
Nikola Jokic’s game involved some stunning passes and highlight-reel-worthy play
Take look at this shot, Jokic has virtually no space and is locked down by a defensive juggernaut like Draymond Green. He puts up a high-arc shot, for the long two. Prowess.
Only Jokic could have made a shot like this.
O ARREMESSO QUE O JOKIC MATOU NA CARA DO DRAYMOND GREEN
pic.twitter.com/LIZ2QbCIag— NBA do Povo 🏀🇧🇷 (@NBAdoPovo) October 22, 2022
He also made this pass, full-court to restore the lead back to 3. He did this just a few seconds after the Warriors closed in on the gap.
Warriors fans punching the air after this Nikola Jokic dime pic.twitter.com/O3MSkbNBzy
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) October 22, 2022
And he made this pass.
Jokic has eyes in the back of his head 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/PP7bqUZkkF
— ESPN (@espn) October 22, 2022
Safe to say, he didn’t just come to the Chase Center to play, he came to dominate. The Joker is here to remind everyone he is the reigning MVP. And the Nuggets are not too far off from a championship.
Nikola Jokic leaving Chase Center tonight pic.twitter.com/mj9zCc46kr
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) October 22, 2022
Just one triple-double away from greatness, Nikola Jokic looms closer to Wilt Chamberlain.
It is highly unusual for centers to be this productive. The key attribute most centers lack is passing ability. Nikola Jokic has that in spades.
His 26-12-10 was the 77th triple-double of this career and he is just one shy of touching Wilt Chamberlain’s record. Talk about reaching the summit of greatness.
Triple-doubles by a center in NBA history:
78 — Wilt
77 — JokicOne more. pic.twitter.com/ar92d3QDEh
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 22, 2022
Jokic tonight:
26 PTS
12 REB
10 ASTHe’s one triple-double away from tying Wilt for the center record. pic.twitter.com/oHIy3Li90h
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 22, 2022
For all intents and purposes, we will see Nikola pass Wilt in the next 10 odd games. It could be sooner too. Either way, we will be keeping an eye. Stay tuned to this space to see when Jokic passes Wilt the Stilt!