Nikola Jokic Posts 3-Quarter Triple-Double in Nuggets Preseason Win

DENVER — Nikola Jokic logged 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists across three quarters during the Denver Nuggets’ 133-128 preseason victory over the Chicago Bulls, a workload distribution that signals his physical conditioning entering the 2026-27 NBA campaign.

The abbreviated outing carries weight beyond exhibition box scores. Denver’s coaching staff has historically managed Jokic’s minutes aggressively before November, yet the Serbian center generated a triple-double at a pace that would project to historic regular-season numbers if sustained. He sat out the entire fourth quarter with the outcome secured.

Jokic enters this season positioned to break the NBA’s career triple-double record. He currently sits at 198, trailing Russell Westbrook’s mark of 209. Westbrook set that benchmark over a 15-year career defined by relentless transition play. Jokic has accumulated his total primarily through half-court orchestration, operating as a de facto point guard from the center position — a stylistic anomaly that redefined positional expectations after he won consecutive MVP awards in 2021 and 2022, followed by a third in 2024.

Denver faces immediate pressure to maximize its championship window. The Nuggets suffered a first-round playoff exit last spring, a collapse that coincided with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander capturing his second consecutive MVP award for the Oklahoma City Thunder. That sequence prompted widespread league debate about whether Jokic’s era of individual dominance had closed.

Roster turnover complicates Denver’s margin for error. The franchise lost forward Peyton Watson and veteran wing Tim Hardaway Jr. during the offseason, stripping away perimeter defense and secondary scoring depth. Without those rotation pieces, the offensive burden shifts further toward Jokic and backcourt partner Jamal Murray, who faces heightened expectations to stabilize the team’s shot creation when the ball leaves the post.

Last season, Jokic led the NBA in both total rebounds and total assists, becoming the first player in league history to top both categories in the same year. Wilt Chamberlain famously led the league in scoring and assists simultaneously during the 1967-68 season, but no center had ever monopolized the rebounding and passing leaderboards concurrently until Jokic executed it.

Preseason schedules run through late October, with the NBA regular season tipping off shortly after. Denver opens its 2026-27 schedule next week.