Nikola Jokic was option A, B and C for the Nuggets on Tuesday. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
(Dustin Bradford via Getty Images)
In an atmosphere that felt pulled straight from their playoff series last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves again beat the Denver Nuggets despite a historic performance from Nikola Jokić.
The reigning MVP posted a 61-point triple-double, the most points in NBA history in a triple-double and a new career high in scoring, but Denver fell 140-39 in double overtime in a crucial game for their playoff race. The game ultimately hinged on an awful play by Russell Westbrook, who fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded, with a one-point lead.
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The result was three free throws for the Timberwolves after an official review.
Alexander-Walker made the first two free throws with 0.1 seconds left, a brutal ending for the Ball Arena crowd. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone expressed sympathy for Westbrook after the game, saying “I feel awful for Russ.”
The Nuggets were playing without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., leaving Jokić to handle more of the load than usual against Rudy Gobert. The result was less facilitation than Jokić typically prefers on the floor, and a lot more scoring.
He finished the game with the first 60-point game and third 50-point game of his career on 18-of-29 shooting, plus 11 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. He played a career-high 53 minutes. The Nuggets are now 0-3 in his 50-point games.
The other two 60-point triple-doubles in NBA history belong to James Harden (Jan. 30, 2018) and Luka Dončić (Dec. 27, 2022). Both players scored 60 points on the dot, with Harden doing so in regulation, while Dončić got a single overtime. Jokić’s record was the second superb performance by a multi-time MVP of the night, after Stephen Curry’s 52 points and 12 3-pointers.
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On the Minnesota side was Anthony Edwards, who was quiet for most of the game, until the fourth quarter began. He entered the frame with 10 points on the night and left with 23, with six of them coming on on back-to-back 3-pointers to help swing the game in regulation.
By the time overtime began, the game nearly had the feeling of a one-on-one game with eight other players on the floor, especially with Gobert fouling out at the end of the fourth quarter. Jokić skipped his usual breaks and didn’t leave the game after the midway point of the second quarter, while Edwards was as ball-dominant as he usually gets and finished the game with 34 points.
The game should have come down to them. It came down to Westbrook instead. The game’s other former MVP finished with 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting with seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and five blocks.
The Nuggets are now only a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for third place in the Western Conference, and two games behind the Houston Rockets for second. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, move up to 44-32, tying them with the Memphis Grizzlies for sixth place and the final guaranteed playoff spot in the West.
