Nikola Jokic Praised as '1 of 1' by Nuggets HC After NBA's 1st 30-20-20 Triple-Double

Nikola Jokić hit another historic benchmark with the NBA's first 30-20-20 triple-double in the Denver Nuggets' 149-141 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone praised Jokić as a "one of one" player:

"I mean, the first player to ever have a 30, 20 and 20 game. I can't describe him, so don't ask me to. The guy is just an incredible player, and when you are one of one in this league and the tremendous history of this league, that says a lot. And there's a lot of good players in this league, but Nikola, in my opinion, is just in a class well by himself."

In true Jokić fashion, he didn't really seem too overwhelmed by his accomplishment when appearing on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt after the victory.

Denver needed every bit of Jokić's contributions to win a thriller against a Suns team that's fighting for their playoff lives at this point.

The Nuggets led by as much as 11 points in the fourth quarter, but the Suns were able to erase that deficit. Kevin Durant forced overtime with a game-tying three as time expired in regulation.

While the entire game was a masterclass by Jokić, overtime was when he really took things over to lead the Nuggets to victory. He had five points, five assists, three rebounds and one steal in the five-minute period.

Denver shot 8-of-9 from the field in overtime to earn its 13th win in the last 16 games.

Even though the most recent results from the MVP straw poll conducted by ESPN's Tim Bontemps had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander way out in front with 70 of a possible 100 first-place votes, Jokić is doing everything possible to close that gap.

The Nuggets are only percentage points behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Jokić leads the NBA with 29 triple-doubles this season, 19 more than anyone else (LeBron James: 10).

The 30-year-old is on pace to join Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in league history to average a triple-double for a full season. He's currently at 28.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game in 57 starts.