Nikola Jokic is one of those guys that talks more with his game than his actual words.
After the Nuggets star’s historic performance Wednesday night spoke volumes, he had little interest in discussing it.
The Joker ended Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals, a 109-94 Nuggets win over the Heat, with a video game stat line of 32 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists, the first 30-point, 20-rebound triple double in NBA Finals history.
When asked about what this all-time performance means to him, Jokic gave an answer that not too many others would give.
“To be honest, not much,” Jokic said during a postgame interview on ESPN. “I’m just glad we won the game.”
It was a response that probably brought a smile to Gregg Popovich’s face.
In his post-game press conference, the two-time NBA MVP continued to downplay his performance, which helped the Nuggets take a 2-1 series lead.
“To be honest, I think it’s just a win because if you lose, nobody is going to even mention [it] … I don’t care,” Jokic said. “It’s just a stat.”
Throughout NBA postseason history, only two other players have recorded a 30-20-10 game.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar accomplished the feat back in 1970 against the Knicks and Wilt Chamberlain in ‘67 against the Cincinnati Royals.
But what is more impressive, Abdul-Jabbar and Chamberlain only reached those gaudy stat totals once in their postseason careers.
Jokic has done it on three separate occasions, including twice in this playoff run alone.
He dropped 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists in the opening game of the Nuggets-Lakers series.
The way The Joker gets these numbers may be what is most impressive.
Abdul-Jabbar and Chamberlain were both physical specimens athletically.
Jokic is much less so, but he makes up for that with cerebral vision and passing, all-time great rebounding technique and a feathery soft touch on his floater game and jumper.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray also had a triple-double with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the win.
He and Jokic became the first teammates to record 30-point triple-doubles in the same game in NBA history.
