Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers took place on Tuesday, where star center Nikola Jokić stole the show with an unbelievable game.
The two-time MVP winner had a tough test against an elite defender in Lakers big man Anthony Davis. That didn’t seem to bother him one bit, putting up one of his best performances of the postseason.
Jokić had little trouble making his presence felt in the game, finishing with 34 points including this ridiculous buzzer-beater over Davis.
Scoring wasn’t even his best skill in this game. He also recorded 21 rebounds with 12 coming in the first quarter.
His passing skills were also on full display, finishing with 14 assists to record his third-consecutive postseason triple-double.
Jokić’s unbelievable effort in every aspect of this game helped the Nuggets hold off the Lakers and secure a 132-126 victory to take Game 1 of the series.
The NBA world certainly took notice of this ridiculous game from Jokić, singing his praises on social media.
Plenty of players have recorded triple-doubles in a postseason game. However, there is a real argument that this was one of the best postseason performances of all time from him on Tuesday night.
This performance makes Jokić the first player in NBA postseason history to record a 30-point triple-double in consecutive games while shooting 70 percent from the field.
It is re’s second 30-20 triple-double in his postseason career. The only other players to do so even once in a postseason game are Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The postseason accolades are obviously great for Jokić, but he certainly had more team-oriented goals of winning an NBA Championship. He and the Nuggets will have their chance to take a 2-0 lead in this series on Thursday night.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.