Nikola Jokić notches 5th straight triple-double, nails 3/4-court shot, makes history as Nuggets beat Kings

Nikola Jokić keeps getting triple-doubles and the Denver Nuggets keep winning.

Named to the NBA All-Star team for the seventh time in his career earlier in the evening, Jokić then recorded his fifth consecutive triple-double and 20th of the season in Denver’s 132–123 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. He didn’t play the fourth quarter, which has been the case for 14 of those triple-doubles.

Jokić scored 35 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and dished out 17 assists in the Nuggets’ victory. He shot 2 of 3 on 3-pointers, which included sinking a heave from three-quarters of the court as time expired in the third quarter.

Additionally, Jokić became the first NBA player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968 to register 30 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists in a game.

While Jokić has compiled five straight triple-doubles, he was only three assists and one rebound short of tying Russell Westbrook’s NBA-record streak of 11 consecutive triple-doubles.

On Jan. 12, Jokić had nine assists to go with 19 points and 18 rebounds. And on Jan. 4, he snatched nine rebounds with 46 points and 10 assists. To stretch this out a bit further, Jokić tallied nine assists with 41 points and 18 rebounds on Jan. 3. That would have given him 11 consecutive triple-doubles.

Meanwhile, Denver has won 12 of its past 15 games. At 28–16, the Nuggets are still in the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference. Yet they’re now only one game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the third seed and 1 1/2 games back from the Houston Rockets for the No. 2 spot.

The Nuggets are off until Saturday when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves at 3 p.m. ET.