The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets delivered an incredible late-night battle on Friday.
The game came down to the wire, with the Nuggets securing a 149-141 overtime victory.
For the Suns, they had fight late, with Kevin Durant nailing a last-second 3-pointer in the corner, with time expiring, to force the overtime period.
The superstar forward finished the game with 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 46 minutes logged. However, it was Devin Booker who led the Suns, scoring 34 points on 10-of-19 shooting.
While the Suns duo was sharp, it wasn't enough to overcome a historical performance from Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, who finished the match with 31 points, 21 rebounds and 22 assists while shooting 13-of-22 from the field.
Adding three steals to his impressive game log, Nikola Jokic was superb in every facet, adding to his MVP resume while putting together a career season.
No player in NBA history had a stat-line of 30-plus points, 20-plus rebounds and 20-plus assists, making Jokic the first to do so.
Durant sends Jokic message after his historical performance
Durant, another future Hall of Fame player, had quite a bit to say about the Serbian talent after the matchup.
"The whole offense is centered around him making a play. I'm actually kind of surprised he hasn't done this before," Durant said after the game. "...All-time great, man. All-time great."
This is quite a steep statement coming from a generation-defining talent. The two-time champion then explained why Jokic is able to put together absurd game logs.
"He gets the ball every play, so the numbers are gonna pile up," Durant continued.
Jokic, like his teammate Russell Westbrook, is on a generational run of eye-popping stat lines. He's won three of the past four MVP trophies, though, showing that he's been able to sustain the absurd success.
Durant was able to recognize that, too.
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 12:47 PM.