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Nikola Jokic becomes fifth NBA player to record three straight 20/15/5 playoff games

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated02 May 2023

Nuggets Nikola Jokic becomes fifth NBA player to record three straight 20/15/5 playoff games

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is the fifth player in NBA history to record three or more straight playoff games with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. Tim Duncan logged five such consecutive playoff games from May 10-27 in 2003.

Wilt Chamberlain registered four such postseason outings from April 11-17 in 1968. Bill Russell recorded three straight (April 8-11, 1968), along with Chamberlain (April 5-11, 1967) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (April 11-17, 1970).

According to a few NBA betting sites, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets have second-shortest odds to win the championship. Sportsbooks still show the Boston Celtics as the odds-on favorite.

In Denver’s 97-87 win in Game 2 over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, Nikola Jokic amassed 39 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block in 42 minutes of action. The MVP finalist also shot 17-of-30 (56.7%) from the floor and drained two 3-pointers. Twenty-six of his points and 12 of his rebounds came after halftime.

“I love an aggressive Nikola Jokic,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Nikola’s an MVP for a reason. He can take over a game. He can beat you in a lot of ways. … I love a guy who’s getting to the basket, imposing his will upon the other team. And that fourth quarter, man, 14 points for that team, 28% from the field, 0-for-9 from 3?”

Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic becomes the fifth player in NBA history to record three straight playoff games with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists

While Joker wants to win a third-straight MVP award, becoming the first player since Larry Bird (1984-86) to accomplish this feat, the five-time All-Star is focused more on helping the Nuggets win their first NBA championship in franchise history.

“If he wins, it, we will be celebrating and very happy for him because it’d be a huge accomplishment — three years in a row. Only a few guys in NBA history have done that,” Malone added. “If he doesn’t win it, I’m still gonna give him a hug and tell him he’s the MVP in my eyes.”

The 2022-23 NBA MVP will be announced Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. ET on TNT. For the second-straight season, in addition to Nikola Jokic, the two other award finalists are Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Of course, Embiid is the projected MVP winner. In 66 starts of the regular season, the 7-foot center averaged career highs of 33.1 points, 11 field goals, and 34.6 minutes per game. Along with logging 10.2 boards, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.7 blocks per contest, Embiid shot a career-best 54.8% from the field.

Embiid has finished second in MVP voting behind Nikola Jokic the last two seasons. ESPN’s Zach Lowe released his 2022-23 MVP ballot a couple of weeks ago. The NBA analyst has Embiid first and Joker second, followed by Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Donovan Mitchell.

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