On April 1, 2025, despite his clumsy and often mockable appearance, the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player known for his remarkable statlines and legendary all-around play, Nikola Jokić, outdid himself once again. At home in a back-and-forth showdown against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jokić pulled off the highest scoring triple-double in the history of the NBA with 61 points, ten assists, and ten rebounds. Unfortunate circumstances late in the game left Jokić and the Nuggets falling short by a single point, but the all-time great performance will leave a lasting impression on the MVP voting in the heated, constantly flip-flopping, battle for the award between Jokić and Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In all reality, Nikola Jokić was never supposed to be the NBA player he is today. Born in the war-torn slums of Serbia in 1995, Jokić grew up playing basketball on hoops in the bombed, rubble-covered streets of his village. Jokić viewed basketball as his only escape. These humble beginnings set him on a basketball journey full of being doubted, mocked, and looked over, until ultimately proving everyone wrong as one of the greatest basketball players ever.
After dominating European basketball in his late teens, Jokić was drafted by the mediocre Denver Nuggets with one of the last picks in the 2015 NBA Draft. His selection was seen as so irrelevant that ESPN cut to commercial break as Jokić was chosen. They would not be more wrong. Still, Jokić was mocked for his appearance that looked nothing like a professional basketball player. At six foot eleven and 284 pounds, Jokić had a soft, unathletic stature, and one of the worst speeds and vertical jumps ever seen in basketball. He was viewed as a stereotypical soft European, and a horrible athlete without a chance of making it in the fast-paced NBA.
Invigorated with his perception, Jokić took the league by storm. He made the NBA All-Rookie Team in his inaugural 2016 campaign and worked his way up the Nugget’s depth chart through sheer will and excellence on the court until easily becoming their best player in 2019, earning his first all-star honors and was a unanimous all star every year since. Easily regarded as the most balanced center in NBA history, Jokić can genuinely do it all. With some of the best post moves ever seen, Jokić is crafty and always finds a way to score down low. He is also a relentless rebounder, and most notably without discussion the best passer of any center the NBA has ever seen, with court vision and trick passes from a big man like Jokić never to be seen again. On top of all of this, Jokić will knock down any jump shot if a team dares to leave him open.
Between Jokić’s clumsy, deceiving appearance, and tricky, flawless, jack-of-all-trades playstyle, he earned himself the famous nickname, “Joker.” Jokić’s accolades would stack in the midst of his dominance. He has the third most triple-doubles in NBA history, and won NBA Most Valuable Player in 2021, 2022, and 2024. In 2023, he dominated the entire playoffs and brought the Nuggets their first ever championship, unquestionably being awarded the 2023 NBA Finals MVP. This 2025 campaign has been Joker’s best yet, literally averaging a triple double of 30 points, thirteen rebounds, and ten assists per game as Jokić chases his fourth MVP and seeking to bring the Nuggets their second championship in three years.
With the close of the NBA regular season drawing near, the Nuggets were placed seeded at fourth in the Western Conference, and on the first of April were set to face the red hot Minnesota Timberwolves, seeded sixth in the Western Conference. Besides Jokić of course, the Nuggets were led by star small forward Aaron Gordon and the all-time great, but past his prime, point guard Russel Westbrook along with role players Christian Braun and Peyton Watson to balance out the starting five. The Timberwolves were led by shooting guard Anothony Edwards, arguably the best young superstar in the league, along with all-star power forward Julius Randle, strong center Rudy Gobert and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. ESPN Bet listed Denver as two point favorites. Ironically, the man called Joker chose April Fool’s Day to have the game of a lifetime.
The Nuggets came out on fire, while three pointers from Jokić fell as Denver ran out on Minnesota 21-5 six minutes into the game. Physical fouling under the rim by Gobert sent Joker to the free throw line often, to which the latter made use of all these opportunities. The Timberwolves only trailed the Nuggets 32-26 at the end of the first quarter after a strong start by Joker and scoring from Minnesota’s Edwards and Gobert. After a brief run by the Timberwolves, Jokić got right back to work, scoring floaters jump shots from all over the court for the Nuggets, now barely holding a 53-52 edge at halftime.
The second half kicked off with Joker putting on a show, with a defensive rebound dribbled full court into one of his infamous slow spins around Gobert for a deep floater. A few minutes later, Jokić threw a behind the back, no-look bounce pass to a cutting Braun for a contested layup. Minnesota would respond with a basket or stop of their own each time though, with each team stuck at 63 points five minutes into third. The Timberwolves then looked to push ahead leaving Denver trailing 84-79 with only a quarter left to play.
The Nuggets were not playing around in the fourth, with short jumpers from Joker, followed by a triple nailed by Gordon on an assist from Jokić, who sank a 27-footer of his own a moment later. Denver’s 10-0 run in two minutes had them reclaim their lead at 89-84. With six minutes left in regulation, Joker executed a hook shot while fouled by Gobert to give the Nuggets a 100-89 lead. Fans thought the game was over. Yet Edwards would soon nail two fadeaway triples while on the run, a 6-0 swing that had the Timberwolves ahead 111-108 with two minutes to play. Joker would save the Nuggets from an immediate loss, with a floater later followed by two free throws with eight seconds remaining to tie the game up at 112. Randle took a heavily contested three-pointer at the buzzer, and it fell way off. The game was headed to overtime.
The five-minute overtime started off slowly, with both teams playing incredible defense. In an erratic sequence, Jokić drilled a deep three in the midst of athletic scores by Edwards. A desperate 27-foot three-pointer off the run from Gordon on a one-hand assist by Joker brought the Nuggets down 125-123 with a minute remaining. After Braun stole the ball from Edwards as the time ran down, he found Joker a short floater with seven seconds left. The Timberwolves had one last chance, but a double-clutch layup from Edwards was swatted away by Peyton Watson at the last second, as the Denver crowd erupted for another overtime.
At this point, Jokić had 56 points, eight assists, and ten rebounds. Journalists and sportscasters everywhere were sent into a frenzy upon realizing that Joker was only five points and two assists away from claiming the record for the highest scoring triple-double. Jokić was completely unaware of this news, and gave the second overtime his all without the knowledge of the history he was making. Joker made his impact with a mid-range fadeaway jumper and a perfect pass between two defenders to Westbrook for a layup. Another put back layup for Joker, followed by a kick-out pass to a wide open Gordon who nailed a deep three with 46 seconds to go.
Now leading 137-135, Jokić had matched history. After a Westbook free throw, both teams were tied at 138 points. After a loose ball foul on Randle, Joker was sent to the free throw line with seventeen seconds remaining. With the fate of the game, and a legendary record on the line, it was safe to say Jokić was feeling the pressure as he missed his first shot, but the second rolled in.
The Serbian who everyone made a laughing stock of in his early career hit 61 points and pulled off the highest scoring triple double in history. Unfortunately, with nine seconds as the clock ticked down, Westbrook intercepted a bad pass from Edwards and was all alone for a wide open layup to seal the game, but completely missed the hoop. Things only got worse. Minnesota’s Walker secured the rebound and began sprinting down the court to shoot a game winning shot. With exactly 0.1 seconds left, Walker airballed a deep three-pointer, but was fouled to the ground by Westbrook. Unfazed by the screaming and horrifically loud Denver crowd, Walker swished his first two shots, and the Denver crowd fell silent as the Timberwolves at last won 140-139.
Westbrook losing the game for the Nuggets left a sour taste on Joker’s historic feat. Regardless, Jokić is still fighting in one of the most intense MVP races seen in NBA history, with him and Oklahoma City Thunder superstar shooting guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander flip-flopping for first every week in MVP voting. This masterclass may be what will give Joker the edge. The Nuggets will now play a grueling, intense series against the Thunder in the NBA Playoffs Conference Semifinals. Game 1 will be played in Oklahoma on Monday, May 5, 2025, at 9:30 pm. It is safe to say that both the Nuggets and Jokić have a great future ahead of them. With that being said, let us look forward to all of the excitement, drama, and history that the rest of the postseason will bring.
