“Yep, Nikola Jokic is the MVP”: Deandre Ayton reacts to the Nuggets star joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain with a 30-20-10 statline in Game 3

Nikola Jokic joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlin as the only players to attain this stat line in the postseason. 

The second round has not quite been what Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets would have wanted up to this point. After losing all the games that they’ve played against the Suns so far, the franchise now has its back against the wall trailing 0-3 in the series.

Despite their losses though, hardly anyone has blamed Nikola Jokic, and with good reason. The player has played very efficiently in every game. Perhaps the only place where the star could be criticized during this series is his habit of becoming a bit too passive at times.

Well, it seems the Serbian knew this going into game-3. And despite the Nuggets losing the game, he put up a historic performance, only comparable to certain legends of the NBA.

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Nikola Jokic puts up historic numbers in game-3 despite a convincing loss to the Phoenix Suns

Game-3 of the Suns vs the Nuggets ended with a score of 116-102.

For the most part, the home team just looked sapped. They just didn’t have enough on either end, and they were swallowed whole because of it.

Nikola Jokic however never seemed to give up. The MVP left it all on the floor during this game. And by the end of it, he came away with an incredible stat line.

32 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists in a playoff game.

That quite simply is incredible. So incredible, that only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlin have managed 30+ points, 20+ rebounds, and 10+ assists in postseason history. And after the game Suns center, Deandre Ayton had a pretty fitting reaction to this feat. Take a look.

“Yep, he the MVP.” 😂@DeandreAyton is amazed by Nikola Jokic’s statline. #ThatsGame pic.twitter.com/pH1Ra1zb9T

— NBA (@NBA) June 12, 2021

You know you had an incredible performance, when the opposing center is in awe of you, especially when it was their team who won. But, as Ayton said, he is indeed the MVP of the league.

Also Read: Damian Lillard puts out a cryptic message following Chris Paul and the Suns taking a 3-0 lead against the Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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