'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to a 119-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. “The Joker” tallied 32 points, 16 rebounds, 16 assists, four steals and one block. Jokic’s triple-double was his third straight and 18th overall, which is second behind Domantas Sabonis’ 19 this season.
The reigning NBA Finals MVP also moved past LeBron James for triple-doubles in the regular season and playoffs combined. Jokic now has 139 compared to James’ 138. “King James” played 1,754 games to reach his tally while Jokic broke it in 720.
Nikola Jokic’s latest feat had fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacting:
“He’s better than LeBum”
The Serbian has 123 regular season and 16 postseason triple-doubles. James, meanwhile, has compiled 110 and 28 in his career. Russell Westbrook holds the regular season record with 198 while Magic Johnson owns the postseason with 30. Combined, Westbrook is still on top with 210, followed by Oscar Robertson with 189 and then Johnson with 168.
Nikola Jokic has led the NBA in triple-doubles over the last three seasons. He is on track to make it four straight but Domantas Sabonis is giving him a tough fight. With the way Jokic has been playing and compiling the said statistics, he could surpass Johnson as early as next season.
LeBron James could still add to his tally before this season is over. He already has three and might have more if the LA Lakers get into the postseason. Still, it wouldn’t be long before Jokic will leave him behind considering how the Denver Nuggets utilize the superstar big man on offense.
Nikola Jokic and LeBron James could face off in the first round of the playoffs this year
The LA Lakers will likely have to get past the play-in tournament to earn a playoff berth. After Sunday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, they now hold a 31-28 record. LA is 3.5 games behind the New Orleans Pelicans (34-24) for the sixth spot and guaranteed playoff slot. LeBron James and his teammates also have one of the toughest schedules remaining, which will make surging to the top very tough.
The Denver Nuggets (39-19), meanwhile, are on a roll. They are on a three-game winning streak and only 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves (40-17) for the top seed in the Western Conference. If the trend continues, Denver could land one of the top two seeds in their conference while LA could land in one of the bottom two.
It is possible that the first round of the West could pit LeBron James and Nikola Jokic in a rematch of last year’s conference finals. The Lakers will be no pushovers as long as James and Anthony Davis are healthy. Denver, however, is the clear favorite. It will be a mouthwatering matchup with the career triple-double race as a subheading.
