Nikola Jokic first NBA player with 36/21/11 stat line since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic recorded 36 points, a season-high 21 rebounds, and 11 assists in Sunday night’s 107-104 loss to the Houston Rockets, becoming the first NBA player to post the stat line since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. It was Jokic’s fourth triple-double of the 2023-24 season.

In 39 minutes of action, Jokic also shot 13-of-26 (50%) from the field, 2-of-6 (33.3%) beyond the arc and drained all eight free throw attempts. The two-time MVP hit a 3-pointer with 19.1 seconds remaining to cut Houston’s lead to 103-102. The Rockets outscored Denver 33-28 in the fourth quarter.

Per multiple NBA betting sites, the Denver Nuggets hold third-shortest odds to repeat this season in 2024. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.

I don’t know if anybody has tweeted this yet, but the Nikola Jokic 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists stat line hasn’t been accomplished in 55 years.

Wilt Chamberlain last did it in March of 1968.

— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) November 13, 2023

Jokic made a full-court shot at the buzzer to tie it as well. However, Rockets veteran Jeff Green knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:49 left in the fourth, putting Houston up 103-94.

Green appeared in all 20 playoff games during Denver’s championship run last season. Green scored 15 points off the bench Sunday.

In Denver’s 2023-24 season opener, Jokic became just the third reigning Finals MVP to open an NBA season with a triple-double, joining Magic Johnson (1982) and LeBron James (2016).

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has four triple-doubles in the 2023-24 NBA season, leading all other players

More importantly, Jokic cares more about winning than records. The five-time All-Star made that point clear following last season’s 109-94 win in Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

“I mean, to be honest, not much,” Jokic said, when asked what it meant to become the first player in NBA history to have a 30-point, 20-rebound, and 10-assist game in the Finals. “I’m just glad that we won the game. It was a big one for us just because they won in our arena, so we didn’t want to go down 2-1.”

On Sunday, the Rockets improved to 6-3 after starting the season 0-3. Houston’s six-game winning streak is the longest since January 2021. Last Wednesday, the Rockets reached above .500 record for the first time in 1,005 days.

Jokic in the loss:

36 PTS
20 REB
11 AST

More 35/20/10 games than the entire league combined over the last 10 seasons. https://t.co/QXPJr3JfC1

— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 13, 2023

Meanwhile, the Nuggets entered the game 8-1, their best start since the 2018-19 season. Denver’s bench scored just eight points, whereas the Rockets’ reserves tallied 31 points.

“The greatest challenge that we have is we’re trying to compete for a championship but also develop four young players off the bench,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

“That is insanely hard because young players are going to have nights like tonight, and you have to continue to support them and help them in any way that you can, and that’s what we’re going to do. We know these guys are capable.”

Through 10 starts of the 2023-24 season, Nikola Jokic is averaging 29.8 points, 13.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.0 steal, and 34.6 minutes per game. The 6-foot-11 center is also shooting 60.6% from the floor and 33.3% outside the arc.

NBA sportsbooks show Jokic as the odds-on favorite to win MVP this season.