Jokić’s historic run
Nikola Jokić is running the table toward a legitimately historic MVP case — he’s averaging enough to lead the league in both rebounds and assists with three games left, something no player has ever done in a single season. (nationaltoday.com) He also posted a 14‑point, 16‑rebound, 10‑assist triple‑double in Denver’s 136–119 win and analysts argued his recent 10‑game stretch ranks among the best across millions of samples, which is why betting markets and player polls still list him near the top of the MVP conversation. ( )
Nikola Jokić is three games from finishing first in both rebounds and assists per game, and the official league leaders page now lists him at 12.9 rebounds and 10.9 assists. No player has ever ended an National Basketball Association season on top of both of those categories at once. (nba.com) (espn.com) That is a weird sentence on purpose, because rebounds usually belong to centers parked near the rim and assists usually belong to guards bringing the ball up the floor. Jokić is a 6-foot-11 center, and he is doing both jobs at the same time. (espn.com) On Wednesday, April 8, he put up 14 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in Denver’s 136-119 win over Memphis. National Basketball Association.com said Denver trailed by four at halftime before a 39-22 third quarter turned the game. (nba.com) (espn.com) That was not a one-night spike. His last 10 games have been around 26.7 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 12.6 assists per game, which is the kind of stat line that usually shows up in a video game after someone turns the sliders down. (statmuse.com) Two days earlier, on April 6, he had 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists in a 137-132 overtime win over Portland. The Associated Press said that victory pushed Denver into third place in the Western Conference with its ninth straight win at the time. (apnews.com) (espn.com) The Most Valuable Player race is still tilted toward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, because he leads Oklahoma City’s top team and remains the betting favorite. But The Associated Press reported on April 10 that Jokić is still firmly in the chase, and The Athletic’s anonymous player poll published the same day framed the vote around Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić, and Luka Dončić. (apnews.com) (nytimes.com) That is why this late-season run feels bigger than a normal hot streak. Jokić is not just stacking triple-doubles anymore; he is bending the usual shape of a stat leaderboard so a center sits where a point guard and a glass-cleaner are both supposed to be. (nba.com) (espn.com) If he holds those averages through the final three games, the season will read like a typo: first in rebounds, first in assists, 27.8 points a night, and another triple-double-heavy finish for a Denver team that has won 10 straight. That does not guarantee the trophy, but it does guarantee this season gets filed under things the league had never seen before. (espn.com) (nba.com)
