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Nikola Jokic Reaches Historic Milestone in Nuggets Win vs. Pelicans

The Denver Nuggets' superstar climbed up the all-time triple-double leaderboard.

Oct 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nikola Jokic has not been off to a perfect start in the 2026-27 season, but he continues to find ways to make NBA history. On Wednesday night, Jokic and the Nuggets picked up a road win over the New Orleans Pelicans to move to 2-2 on the season, and the three-time MVP stuffed the stat sheet.

In the win, Jokic finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists on 8-13 shooting from the field. With this, he notched his second triple-double of the season and the 200th of his career, becoming just the second player in league history to record 200 triple-doubles, joining former Nuggets teammate Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook, who announced his retirement this offseason, finished his legendary NBA career with 209 triple-doubles, the most in league history. However, now Jokic sits just 10 triple-doubles away from becoming the new all-time leader, which we can obviously expect him to reach at some point this season.

Jokic dominates the Pelicans

Both of Jokic's triple-doubles this season have come against the Pelicans. Similarly, the Nuggets' only two wins this season are against the Pelicans, as the three-time MVP seems to have New Orleans' number.

In their previous matchup, Jokic finished with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists to help the Nuggets overcome a 23-point deficit to take down the Pelicans in overtime. In two games against the Pelicans, he has dominated. In his two other games, he has struggled, which has caused a bit of concern, but it is still Nikola Jokic we're talking about. He'll be fine.

Jokic also had a season-high seven turnovers in Wednesday's win, which is far from ideal as Denver turned the ball over 17 times, but again, we know he will be better as the season goes on.

What's next for Jokic

Jokic passed Oscar Robertson for second place on the NBA all-time triple-double leaderboard in February, and it is only a matter of time until he passes Westbrook to claim the throne.

After posting two triple-doubles in his first four games, Jokic is on pace to pass Westbrook before 2027, but we will see how things shake out for him. Last season, he led the league with 34 triple-doubles in 65 games, posting the esteemed stat line in over half his appearances. By the end of the 2026-27 season, he could be leading the all-time triple-double race by 20 or 30.

Oct 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Most importantly for Jokic, though, he needs to help the Nuggets get back on track. This has been a slow start to the season for them, and for a team that is supposed to be contending for a title, they look far from it.

The Nuggets go as far as Jokic takes them, so they need him to continue to get back to himself as they get deeper into the season. First, they need to prove they can beat a team other than the Pelicans, which they will get a chance to do against the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

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