Nikola Jokic on Thursday became the third player in NBA history to record at least one triple-double against every opponent in the league, going 10-for-10 from the floor and finishing with 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in the Denver Nuggets’ 130-110 win over the Washington Wizards.
Michael Porter Jr had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the defending champions, who returned from the All-Star break and snapped a three-game skid.
Jokic’s triple-double was his 16th this season, second in the league to Domantas Sabonis’ 19. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook are the other players with a triple-double against every opponent.
Photo: AP
“After I finish my career, it’s a legacy and milestone,” Jokic said. “I’m going to look back and I’m going to say that’s a really cool thing to do.”
Jokic nearly got there in the first half, with 10 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. It was his third triple-double with a perfect shooting performance — and he is the only player since the NBA-ABA merger to do that once, OptaSTATS said.
“What’s unique about him is he can impose his will in so many different areas,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Some guys were great scorers, but Nikola, he can score, he can rebound, he can play-make. He can just impact the game across the board. As we always talk about, he’s just the definition of greatness.”
Jamal Murray, who missed Denver’s previous game with tibia inflammation, had 18 points, eight assists and three steals.
Kyle Kuzma had 31 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who matched their worst skid of the season with their ninth straight loss.
Deni Avdija, who averaged 28.3 points and shot 61.5 percent in Washington’s previous four games, was held to five points on two-of-11 shooting.
Washington shot 38.8 percent from the field and fell to 1-34 against opponents with winning records.
Jordan Poole, moved out of the starting lineup by interim coach Brian Keefe, scored 18 points on four-of-17 shooting.
“We should have a sense of urgency because we had lost eight in a row,” Kuzma said. “That urgency should be there and we’re just off the break. We’re not making no excuses. We have no pity. Nobody really cares. We’ve got to ... just show some heart.”
Aaron Gordon scored 17 points for Denver while Christian Braun and Peyton Watson were productive off the bench. Braun had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Watson finished with 11 points and four blocks.
Denver toyed with Washington defensively, regularly beating the Wizards with backdoor cuts that led to high-percentage and often uncontested scoring opportunities at the rim.
Despite making just four of their 18 three-pointers in the first half, the Nuggets went 28 of 37 (75.7 percent) from inside the arc to help build a 72-49 halftime lead.
Denver finished with a season-high 88 points in the paint.
Elsewhere on Thursday, it was:
‧ 76ers 96, Knicks 110
‧ Bulls 112, Celtics 129
‧ Cavaliers 109, Magic 116
‧ Jazz 107, Hornets 115
‧ Kings 127, Spurs 122
‧ Mavericks 123, Suns 113
‧ Pacers 129, Pistons 115
‧ Pelicans 127, Rockets 105
‧ Raptors 121, Nets 93
‧ Thunder 129, Clippers 107
‧ Warriors 128, Lakers 110
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
RSS