On January 15th, Beijing time, the Nuggets defeated the Mavericks 118-99 on the road, securing their fourth consecutive victory. Their record now stands at 24 wins and 15 losses, closing in on the top three in the Western Conference, just half a game behind the Grizzlies, with the potential to overtake them soon. The Nuggets were in top form, leading by 26 points at halftime, making the second half almost a garbage time. If not for their relaxation in the fourth quarter, the margin of victory would have been even greater. The Mavericks, without Doncic, suffered their second consecutive loss, dropping to sixth in the West with a record of 22 wins and 18 losses, only half a game ahead of the Lakers, risking falling out of the play-in tournament.
In this game, Murray was the standout performer for the Nuggets. He fought hard for 37 minutes, shooting 18 times out of 26 attempts, scoring an impressive 45 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. This marks the fifth time in his career that he has scored 40+ points in a regular-season game, setting a new high for the season. With the season nearing its halfway point and the entire Nuggets team back in action, they are expected to further improve their ranking, undoubtedly becoming one of the top contenders for the championship. Jokic willingly played a supporting role, shooting 4 out of 7, securing an economical triple-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. Porter shot 5 out of 9, scoring 13 points. Westbrook also contributed with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Gordon, coming off the bench, added another 8 points.
For the Mavericks, Irving had only recently returned, shooting 4 out of 18 attempts for 11 points. However, he performed well in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, filling up the stat sheet. Klay Thompson scored 8 points with 3 out of 8 shots, Lively got 4 points, and Washington scored only 5 points with 2 out of 10 shots, but contributed with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Marshall scored 11 points. Off the bench, Grimes scored 10 points with 5 assists and 3 steals, and Gafford added 13 points. Overall, the Mavericks' performance was average, and they need to quickly halt their downward trend.
It is worth noting that Jokic achieved only 10+14+10 in this game, yet he created new history. In the 78-year history of the NBA, he once again made a miracle, breaking the record. Statistics show that Jokic accumulated 15,000 points, 7,500 rebounds, and 5,000 assists in just 709 games, making him the fastest player in NBA history to achieve this feat. The previous record was held by Larry Bird of the Celtics, who took 799 games, with Jokic achieving it 90 games faster, a truly unprecedented accomplishment.
In his career, Jokic has already reached 5,000 assists, becoming the second center in history after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem had a total of 5,660 assists in his career, and given Jokic's current form, he could surpass Kareem as early as next season to become the center with the most assists in history, a record that is extremely difficult to break. Moreover, Jokic's total number of assists in his career might exceed 10,000, considering the length of legendary careers like James, Curry, and Kareem, he still has about 5 to 8 years of peak performance left.
Among active players, Jokic is undoubtedly the strongest, often not exerting his full strength in many games. This season, he has a good chance of winning his fourth MVP trophy. However, it should be noted that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder is his biggest competitor. The Thunder are currently in high spirits, firmly holding the first place in the West, with the Nuggets trailing them by 9 games, a significant gap that will be challenging to overcome.