Nikola Jokic Drops Another Triple-Double, Denver Nuggets Crush Minnesota Timberwolves

The Denver Nuggets utterly dismantled the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night in a 146-112 blowout, thanks partly to the continued excellence of Nikola Jokic. The MVP candidate logged 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 16 assists in his NBA-leading 19th triple-double of the season.

Triple-double merchant

19 PTS / 10 REB / 10 AST at the half pic.twitter.com/tQHDNGs4PB
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) February 8, 2023

Jokic crossed the threshold for his triple-double before the second half. He was ruthlessly efficient, hitting eight of his 10 field goal attempts and ending his night after only 27 minutes. His scoring has declined of late, but he's made up for it with play-making: over his past five appearances, he has averaged 21.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 13.2 assists per game with a .702 field goal percentage.

With last night's win, the Nuggets move to 38-17 and extend their lead in the Western Conference to 4.5 games. They've dominated all season, and Jokic appears poised for a third-straight MVP. For the season, he's up to 24.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game over 47 starts with a deadly .706 true shooting percentage. He has a realistic chance of becoming only the third player to average a triple-double over an entire season after Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson. If Jokic wraps up the year with an NBA title, this season has a chance to go down as one of the all-time greats.

The Nuggets visit the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.