The night Nikola Jokic earned his greatness

MILWAUKEE — After a pair of on-court interviews following Denver’s 134-123 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Nikola Jokic had one final stop to make before celebrating a historic night with his teammates in the Nuggets’ locker room.

Jokic paused for a couple minutes to take selfies and sign autographs for a contingent of around 100 Serbian fans who flocked to BMO Harris Bradley Center on Thursday night. They were treated to the performance of a lifetime.

Jokic finished with 30 points on just 14 shots, 15 rebounds and a career-high 17 assists, which culminated in his second straight triple-double, fifth of the season and fourth since Jan. 27. Jokic’s 10th assist to the night at the 1:54 mark of the second quarter gave him a triple-double in just 14 minutes and 33 seconds. It’s believed to be the fastest triple-double in league history, breaking Syracuse Nationals forward Jim Tucker’s previous mark of 17 minutes that stood for more than 60 years. Officially, Jokic recorded the fastest triple-double in the past 20 seasons.

The 22-year-old also became just the sixth player in league history along with James Harden, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain to record 30 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in an NBA game.

“I’m just playing the same way,” Jokic said. “Maybe I’m a little bit (more) aggressive. I don’t know, really. I’m just playing the same way.”

Jokic was the catalyst at the center of another huge night from Denver’s offense. Over their past 12 games, the Nuggets are 9-3, the league’s second-best offense and are averaging 115.0 points per game. Jokic’s numbers in that stretch are incredible as well: 19.4 points 11.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists.

“It’s kind of like when I was fortunate enough to coach a guy like LeBron (James) or Chris Paul or Steph Curry. You recognize greatness,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Obviously, there are moments in the game when you are so locked in and you’re worried about getting another stop, but some of the plays that he makes and how he makes the right play over and over again and how he makes all of his teammates better players. I do admire that. I do recognize that.

“No one in our organization takes it for granted. We feel that we have the most dynamic, best facilitator, best playmaking player, young player in the NBA. It’s going to be really fun to grow with him and see where this team and organization takes us.”

The effect Jokic has on the Nuggets’ offense was evident Thursday as Denver racked up 74 first-half points. The Nuggets ran up 60 more in the second half for a whopping 134 on the night. As a team, Denver shot a blistering 55.3 percent from the field and 24-30 (60 percent) from three-point range. The 24 threes tied a franchise single-game record that was set last season.

Six Nuggets players scored in double-figures. Gary Harris finished with 28 points and hit five of his seven three-point attempts. Will Barton added 19. Wilson Chandler finished in double-figures for a fourth-straight night with 11. Jamal Murray tallied 26 points on just 12 shots. Murray also drained five of his seven attempts from distance.

“I can think score knowing he’s going to be unselfish and make the right play and find everybody,” Murray said of Jokic. “I think everybody’s playing aggressive, and he’s the guy that’s always going to make the right play. It’s just easy to play through him. Very unselfish. You hit him, you know you can get it back. You know you can cut, he might pass it. There’s always a chance when Jok’s in the game.”

Jokic has ignited the Nuggets as Denver heads into the All-Star break as the sixth seed in a crowded Western Conference. The Nuggets are also just two-and-a-half games back of the third-seeded San Antonio Spurs, and Mason Plumlee is expected to return to the lineup in the Nuggets’ first game after the break while marquee free agent signing Paul Millsap is expected back in March.

The second-round pick from Serbia won’t bask in the glory of his historic night or Denver’s February surge. More meaningful than his final box score was the support he received from the Serbian fans in attendance.

“It’s really nice to see them coming,” Jokic said. “It’s really nice to play in front of them, maybe extra motivation a little bit. When you see a flag, when you see people are calling your name in your language, it’s really nice.”