Nikola Jokic posted his second straight triple-double, and ninth of the season, to help him Denver Nuggets to a 123-111 win over the Boston Celtics.
The Serbian native had 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in 32 minutes with a near-perfect 8-of-11 shooting effort on 2s, 2-of-2 on 3s and 8-of-8 free throws.
With these numbers, the player who was selected by the Nuggets with the 41st pick in the NBA‘s 2014 Draft has raised his season averages to 25.5 points, 10.9 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game with a spectacular 61.6 shooting percentage.
Jokic is the favorite for a third MVP
Nuggets coach Mike Malone defended Jokic’s candidacy for NBA MVP of the season, warning voters that he should not be overlooked just because he has won it before.
“If people’s reason for not giving Nikola Jokic a third NBA MVP is because he’s already won two in a row? That’s lazy,” he said.
Jokic (27) has been the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in each of the past two seasons, winning the 2021 MVP by averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists on 56.6 percent shooting and the 2022 MVP with 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists on 58.3 percent shooting.
“Nikola Jokic is my MVP. He should be NBA MVP three times in a row,” teammate Bruce Brown said after the win over the Celtics.
“He’s doing everything for us. Without JokicI don’t know where we’d be.”
Jokic is aiming for Larry Bird’s record
Larry Bird was the last player to win NBA MVP in three consecutive seasons (1984, 1985 and 1986).
Wilt Chamberlain from 1965 to 1968 and Bill Russell from 1960 to 1963 are the other two players to win the MVP three seasons in a row.
Barcelona didn’t want ‘fat’ Jokic
Jokic began his professional career at Mega Vizurawhere he caught the attention of Barcelonawho came close to signing him.
In his early years in basketball, the current NBA star was overweight, which raised doubts about his performance in competitive basketball until he was named the best player in the Adriatic League at the age of 19.
“As a kid I drank more than three liters of Coca Cola a day, I really miss it,” Jokic admitted in an interview with ESPN.
Jokic entered the NBA through the back door after being selected with the 41st pick in the 2014 draft in a pick that wasn’t even televised because it coincided with the airing of a Taco Bell commercial.
.