Nikola Jokic reaches 200 triple-doubles, 10 from passing Westbrook
Jokic got his 200th regular-season triple-double at New Orleans, in his 814th game. Ten more would pass Russell Westbrook for the NBA record.
Nikola Jokic has 200 regular-season triple-doubles, and only one player in NBA history has more. The Nuggets center got there last Wednesday in New Orleans with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a 104-91 win, and ESPN reported that he needs 10 more to pass Russell Westbrook, who retired after last season, for the league record.
The pace is the striking part. Westbrook reached 200 in his 1,175th regular-season game, according to ESPN; Jokic did it in his 814th. They are the only two players with more than 200.
He has gone two games without one since. He had 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Friday's win at Phoenix, and 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in Monday's loss to Portland, when he went into the fourth quarter one rebound and two assists short and added neither, according to ESPN's box score.
How the 200th came
Denver never trailed at the Smoothie King Center. Jokic shot 8 of 13 and 5 of 5 from the line in 34 minutes, with seven turnovers, and the Nuggets led by 22 in the first half against a Pelicans team that was 0-4 at the time. Jamal Murray scored 23 and Aaron Gordon had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
New Orleans has been his most frequent victim: 16 of his triple-doubles have come against the Pelicans, six more than against any other team, ESPN noted. His 199th came against them four nights earlier in Denver, when he scored 35, eight of them in overtime, with 15 rebounds and 10 assists as the Nuggets came back from 23 down to win 141-135. Afterward he criticized the fans who had booed the team during the deficit, ESPN reported.
What it means in Denver
The franchise numbers are lopsided. Jokic has 200 triple-doubles as a Nugget; every other player in team history combined has 79, according to ESPN.
Through six games, Jokic is averaging 22.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.0 assists on 47% shooting, by ESPN's box scores, with two triple-doubles. His career rate is roughly one every four games, which would put 10 more about 40 games away.
His next chance is tonight at 9 p.m. ET against Toronto at Ball Arena. Prices are on the game page, and the rest of the schedule is on the team page.
