The Nuggets stayed undefeated at home on Wednesday night, beating the Heat, 122-112. Nikola Jokic finished with 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 16 assists, good for his fifth triple-double of the season, through just seven games.
The Joker was the main storyline in this one, making history in a variety of ways. This was the 78th game of his career, leading both teams in points, rebounds, and assists, the most such games since the ABA/NBA merger in 1976, with 10 more such games than LeBron James.
This is also Jokic’s seventh career game with 30+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 15+ assists. That’s the most by any player since 1980, and in fact, every other player in the league has combined for just seven total games since 1980, and just five this century.
Jokic also added 3 steals, shot 67% from the field on just 18 shots, and was a team-high +18 in his 36 minutes. It’s another elite performance from the best player in basketball, who’s somehow off to one of the best starts of his career.
Nuggets need to find ways to rely less on Jokic
While it’s amazing to watch Jokic put on a show like this, it’s still a bit concerning that the team is still so reliant on him. They revamped the roster and boosted the bench in an effort to give the team more versatility and allow them to succeed while he’s off the floor.
On paper, it all looked good. The Nuggets have a deep squad, a legitimate backup center, and they should be able to go 10-12 deep any night with solid NBA talent. But so far, the bench has struggled to click, and a lot of the new players have had a hard time finding a rhythm.
Despite the great Jokic effort, the Nuggets lost the 12 minutes when he sat by 8 points. It was enough to get a win on Wednesday night, and it has been enough for the team to start 5-2 and 4-0 at home, but it’s not sustainable for a title run.
Luckily, it’s a long season and there’s time for the Nuggets to figure it out. A lot of these players are new to Denver, and it’s still very early in the process. At the same time, David Adelman and this coaching staff have to figure something out. As great as it is to watch Jokic put up these ridiculous stats, Denver needs to lighten his load so they can be ready to make noise in the playoffs.