Nikola Jokić drops career-high 19 assists while leading Nuggets past Pacers

Nikola Jokić couldn’t quite get to a triple-double Monday night in Indianapolis, but he still found a way to make history.

Denver’s star dished out a career-high 19 assists while leading the Nuggets to a 125-116 win over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. That surpassed his previous best of 18.

Jokić is the first center to record 19 assists in a game since Wilt Chamberlain did so in 1968. Jokić trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time assists race among centers in league history. They are the only two centers who have surpassed the 5,000-assist mark.

Jokić’s final assist Monday night came on a screen to Michael Porter Jr., who proceeded to throw down an easy dunk in the middle of the lane.

Denver led nearly the entire way thanks to Jokić’s near-triple-double. The three-time MVP had 18 points and nine rebounds to go with his 19 assists. He shot 9-of-14 from the field. He’s averaging a career-high 29.4 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists this season, his 10th in the league. Only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo are scoring more points per game than he is, and only Trae Young is putting up more assists.

Aaron Gordon led Denver with 25 points, and Porter added 19 points and 11 rebounds. All five Denver starters hit double figures, and the team shot better than 56% from the field.

Myles Turner led Indiana with 23 points in the loss, which dropped them to 32-24 on the season. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 19 points and 15 assists, and Pascal Siakam finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Jokić and the Nuggets, who now hold a 38-20 record, will take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night in Wisconsin. While they are in second in the Western Conference standings, the Nuggets are nearly 10 games back from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Though it will take a great finish to keep pace with Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP race, Jokić is putting up career numbers again this season. Whether he can turn that into a fourth Michael Jordan Trophy or another title for the Nuggets remains to be seen.