Nikola Jokic posts historic 30-20-20 game as Nuggets outlast Suns in overtime thriller

Bennett Durando, The Denver Post on Mar 8, 2025

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DENVER — Nikola Jokic regularly produces historic numbers. He outdid himself this time.

Jokic became the first player in NBA history to amass 30 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists in a game, then he blew past that to finish with 31, 21 and 22 as the Nuggets survived Phoenix in a 149-141 overtime thriller Friday at Ball Arena.

Regulation ended in chaos. Devin Booker gave Phoenix its first lead since the first quarter with 1:35 to go, capping an 8-0 run. The Nuggets failed twice to score, but Michael Porter Jr. wrestled away a steal from Mason Plumlee under the basket with 33.3 seconds left, scoring off the glass to tie the game. Denver got a stop then ran pick-and-roll between Jamal Murray and Jokic for the win. But the topic of who takes the last shot for the Nuggets is more nuanced than that.

Christian Braun was the open man at the top of the key after Phoenix sold out to stop Jokic on the roll. So the ball found Braun. His 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining was the shot of his NBA career, until the Nuggets lost Kevin Durant in the weak-side corner on Phoenix’s last-gasp out of bounds play. The future Hall of Famer cashed in at the buzzer.

Overtime was simpler. Jokic, Murray and Braun scored the first seven points, and all that was left was for Jokic to cement a historic stat line. He did it with 1:18 to go, finding a cutting Michael Porter Jr. for his 20th assist. Then he added two more assists on Denver’s next two possessions.

The three-time MVP tied his career-high with his 29th triple-double of the season. He secured this one with 10:22 remaining in the third quarter. If he plays all 19 remaining regular-season games, he’s on pace to finish with 39, which would be three shy of Russell Westbrook’s all-time single-season record.

Jokic has also assisted 15 or more baskets in 10 games this season. His 22 were a career-high. It helped that none of his teammates could miss against Phoenix’s bottom-five defense. Aaron Gordon set the tone with Denver’s wildest heat check of the season. He made four outside shots in the first six minutes, pulling up from the wings and infecting his teammates with the same confidence. All eight players who saw the floor for Denver made at least one 3-pointer. Porter, ironically, was the last to do so. The Nuggets made 21 of 40 shots beyond the arc as a team.

They assisted on 45 of 57 made shots from the field.

But their defense worsened throughout the night. Booker got hot after a scoreless first quarter, amassing 34 points on 19 shots. Braun fouled him on a jumper to hand Phoenix a 4-point play with 5:13 to go, narrowing the gap to 117-112. Earlier in the fourth, Michael Malone had lost his patience with his second unit as the Suns paraded to the foul line, sending Jokic to the table with 9:01 left.

Braun went for 25 points, five rebounds and five assists on an 8-of-11 shooting night. Gordon matched a career-high with seven 3s, scoring 27 points. Each of Denver’s starters tallied at least 16 points on 50% shooting or better.

Former Nuggets two-way guard Collin Gillespie appeared in his 14th game this season for Phoenix, fresh off a heroic 10-point fourth quarter Tuesday that shepherded the Suns back from down 19.

“I think there were a lot of guys in that locker room that were really happy for Collin,” Malone said pregame. “… What really resonated was the comments after the (Suns vs. Clippers) game from a guy like Kevin Durant. … After that previous loss, Collin was one of the loudest voices in that locker room. Here’s a guy who’s on a two-way contract with some of the biggest stars in the game, and Collin is a natural-born leader. So obviously, we love him. We miss him. We’re happy when he has success against other teams.”

Peyton Watson, in his second game back from a knee sprain that sidelined him for all of February, contributed 11 points and a block off the bench. Malone played him at the two in one huge lineup that deployed Porter, Zeke Nnaji and Jokic as its frontcourt.