2 weeks Ago By Reuters
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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );Nikola Jokic will become the third NBA player ever, and the league’s first center, to average a triple-double for an entire season.With his fourth assist in an eventual 117-109 home win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night (Saturday, April 12, Manila time), Jokic assured himself of the feat.
The three-time MVP finished with 26 points, 16 boards and 13 assists against Memphis for his 34th triple-double of the season — the fourth-most in a season in league history.Heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale, Jokic is averaging career highs in points (29.8) and assists (10.
3) to go along with 12.8 boards per game. With 164 regular-season triple-doubles in his career, Jokic ranks second only behind teammate Russell Westbrook, who has a record 203.
“It’s nice,” Jokic said after the Memphis win. “I didn’t do that before. I don’t know.
I don’t know what to say. It’s good.”Westbrook was the last to average a triple-double for a season, doing so four times, most recently in 2020-21 for the Washington Wizards.
Westbrook also averaged a triple-double for three straight seasons while with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2016-19).Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson was the first to accomplish the feat, in 1961-62 while with the Cincinnati Royals.“If he doesn’t win the MVP, it’s the greatest season of all time not to win the MVP,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said of Jokic.
– Rappler.com.
