Some history was made in Denver on Friday, as the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook became the first teammates to both record a triple-double in the same game multiple times in a single season.
Jokic finished the 124-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets with 35 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds. Westbrook put up 25 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds.
They’re also the first duo in NBA history to each record a 25-point triple-double in the same contest, according to StatMamba.
They both had a triple-double in a Dec. 30 victory over the Utah Jazz.
“You’re watching history. This is the history channel,” Nuggets head coach Mike Malone said postgame.
Jokic and Westbrook are also just the second set of teammates in NBA history to both have triple-doubles in the same game twice at any point during a shared tenure. The Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo did it once in the 2019-20 season and again in 2020-21.
Westbrook has seen a career resurgence in his first season in Denver, and he credits that to playing with the three-time MVP Jokic.
“Nikola is the best player in the world, man, and I just try to play off him,” said Westbrook to AltitudeTV.
He added praise for all his Nuggets teammates: “I’d run through a wall for everyone in that locker room,” according to team writer Matt Brooks.
This was Westbrook’s 202nd career triple-double, the most in NBA history. Jokic sits third all time with 145.
Westbrook has won 74% of games in which he posted a triple-double throughout his career, and Jokic has won 79% of his, according to Action Network’s Matt Moore.
The Nuggets are now 12-4 with Westbrook in the starting five. They sit fourth in the Western Conference at 22-15 and next play Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks.
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