Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Nikola Jokic is in a league of his own

By Sai Mohan | Last updated 4/23/24

The Lakers were up 89-83 with 4:29 left in the fourth quarter when Nikola Jokic missed a floater. At that point, Jokic had gone 6-of-13 for the game, a rather quiet night by his standards.

The missed shot was a result of Anthony Davis' stellar rim protection. Jokic had been so perturbed by Davis' defense that he attempted only five shots in the first half.

It appeared Davis had Jokic's number, at least for one night.

That's when Jokic said, 'Not on my watch' by grabbing an offensive rebound off his missed floater.

Jokic would make his next three shots, all at the rim, and follow it up with a free throw for good measure. During that sequence, the Nuggets star busted out a Dream Shake and other post moves that would have made his fellow all-time great big men proud.

Nikola Jokic COOKED Anthony Davis with his footwork in the crucial moments of the game pic.twitter.com/sPTnWfS9t7
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) April 23, 2024

While Jamal Murray deserves all the credit in the world for his game-winning buzzer-beater, it was Jokic's late fourth-quarter surge that swung the momentum in Denver's favor. The Nuggets started believing again when their leader got his big self to the post and started cooking.

On a night when Jokic had to cope with double teams, blitzes and all sorts of defensive coverages, he finished with 27 points, 20 rebounds,10 assists and two steals. In the process, he became the first player in NBA postseason history with four 25/20/10 playoff games.

Nikola Jokic is the only player with a 25/20/10 playoff game since the merger.

He's done it four times. pic.twitter.com/nnmLMvv2um
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 23, 2024

Jokic's four 25/20/10 playoff games are as many as Wilt Chamberlain (2), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1) and Dave Cowens (1) combined.

The Lakers threw the kitchen sink at him, and Jokic made history. That's a testament to how special he is. As the kids would say, "It's Nikola Jokic's world and we're all just living in it."

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