Nikola Jokic takes over Christmas in the NBA | Basketball | Sporty

NBA day 63

Denver Nuggets

Minnesota Timberwolves

Christmas in the NBA highlights the best players in the competition. There were the old classics, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, and new phenoms like Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cooper Flagg. But at the end of the night, the one who stood out the most of all was Nikola Jokic. The Serbian center was captain of the Denver Nuggets’ victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves after overtime by 142-138 with an unprecedented triple-double in the history of the competition: 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists (15-21 on baskets; 22-23 on free throws). And 18 points in overtime. A new record that surpasses Curry’s 17 with the Warriors in a game of playoffs against the Blazers in 2016.

The match that closed the festive sports day in the United States lived up to expectations. Anthony Edwards, star of the Wolves, amassed 44 points and culminated the formidable comeback of his team, down 15 points in the last quarter, with a three-pointer from a corner a second before the final whistle (115-115) which even brought the home crowd in Colorado to its feet. Although overtime began with nine straight visitor points, the Nuggets hosted an excellent Jokic who made two triples, a basket and 10 of his 11 free throws in overtime to seal the famous victory.

“You never get tired of him. He’s the best player in the world, period,” said David Adelman, his coach, after attending the umpteenth UEFA Champions League exhibition. joker‘, who this season is averaging 29.8 points, 12.1 rebounds and 11 assists per game this season with 60.9% success on baskets and 44% on the three-point line. “Watching him play basketball is an honor and a privilege,” said television analyst and former player Charles Barkley. Jokic’s big game at Christmas and his 56 points put him in the exclusive club of players who have scored more than 50 on such an important date: Bernard King (60), Wilt Chamberlain (59), Rick Barry (50) and Luka Doncic (50).

“To win a match like this, with a lot of back and forth, the secret is to stay focused, not to get carried away by euphoria or discouragement. You have to control everything you can control, stay calm and believe in yourself and in the team,” Jokic explained after the match. Once again, he was unable to answer when asked about his genius on the field: “Of course, I played a great match, but I don’t know what else to think or say.” The Serbian is not interested in flattery, and on such an important evening, he probably wanted to go celebrate Christmas with his family more than extend his working day longer than necessary.

Despite the absence of three starters due to injuries, Denver’s victory strengthens its hold on first place in the Western Conference. The new victory of the San Antonio Spurs over the champions of Oklahoma City Thunder (102-117), the third of the course and the other big title of Christmas night, tightens the ranking that OKC leads with 26 victories and five defeats. The Texans follow them with 23 wins and seven losses, while those of Colorado have a record of 22 wins and eight losses. For the Los Angeles Lakers, fourth team in the West (19-10), Christmas went badly during the 96-119 home defeat against the Houston Rockets. Luka Doncic scored 25 points and LeBron James, in his twentieth appearance at the event, finished with 18. His coach, JJ Redick, deplored the team’s lack of commitment with a loud rant in front of the microphones.

In the remainder of a day of five games, the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers (126-124) in a beautiful match full of suspense until the last second and the Golden State Warriors regained their vigor against the Dallas Mavericks (126-116), who saw Anthony Davis fall back injured.