Nikola Jokic Makes History (Again) As Playoff Picture Heats Up in the West. With the NBA regular season coming to a close, Nikola Jokic made sure to leave a historic mark — again. The Denver Nuggets superstar has now cemented himself in elite company by becoming just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double over a full season.
And he didn’t just sneak into the record books — he dominated his way there.
Jokic Joins Legends in Triple-Double Club
In a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Jokic put up a monster stat line:
26 points, 26 rebounds, and 12 assists — his 34th triple-double of the season.
That performance locks in averages of double-digit points, rebounds, and assists for the year, making Jokic the first center and only the third player ever to accomplish the feat. The others?
- Oscar Robertson (1961–62)
- Russell Westbrook, who did it four times
Jokic also hit 10+ assists per game for the first time in his career and remains just 47 points shy of a 30-point scoring average. If he hits that mark in the final regular-season game, it’ll be a career-best scoring year as well.
“If he doesn’t win MVP, it’s the greatest season of all time not to win the MVP,” said Nuggets interim coach David Adelman.
With 164 career triple-doubles, Jokic trails only Westbrook (203) on the all-time list. He’ll have one more chance to pad that number as Denver closes the season against the Houston Rockets, looking to lock down home-court advantage with a fourth-place finish.
Nikola Jokic Makes History – Luka Doncic Lights Up as Lakers Lock in 3rd
In Los Angeles, Luka Doncic continued his MVP-level play, dropping 39 points to lead the Lakers to a blowout 140-109 win over the Houston Rockets. The victory secures the third seed in the Western Conference and guarantees home-court in the opening playoff round.
Doncic added eight rebounds and seven assists, while LeBron James chipped in 14 points and eight dimes before exiting in the third quarter with what appeared to be a lingering groin/hip issue. James sat out the rest of the game with tape on his left hip — something to monitor heading into the postseason.
Nikola Jokic Makes History – Warriors, Clippers, and Nuggets in Final-Game Showdown
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors kept their playoff seeding hopes alive with a 103-86 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, led by Jimmy Butler III’s 24 points. The Warriors improved to 48-33, just one win behind the Clippers and Nuggets (both 49-32) in the race for the coveted fourth seed.
Golden State will face the Clippers in a high-stakes season finale that could shuffle the standings one last time before the postseason.
At the top of the West, Oklahoma City Thunder have already clinched the No. 1 seed, led by MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who continues to make a strong case for top individual honors.
Nikola Jokic Makes History – What’s Next?
With just one game remaining in the regular season for most teams, the Western Conference playoff race is going down to the wire. All eyes will be on Jokic’s finale — can he crack the 30-point mark and put an exclamation point on a historic season?
And will LeBron be fully healthy for another playoff run?
Stay tuned — this postseason could be one for the ages.
