Jokic passes Magic for 3rd in triple-doubles in Nuggets' loss to Cavs

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic registered the 139th triple-double of his career Thursday, breaking a tie with Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson for third on the all-time leaderboard.

Jokic posted 27 points, a season-high-tying 20 rebounds, and 11 assists, though his all-around effort wasn't enough as Denver lost 126-114 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, suffering their sixth defeat in their past 10 games.

The three-time MVP shot 13-of-26 from the floor but missed all three of his long-range attempts. Michael Porter Jr. was Denver's only player with multiple such makes, going 3-of-6 from deep. The rest of the team was 3-for-18.

Meanwhile, Cleveland scored nearly as many threes as Denver attempted, going 22-of-48 (45.8%) and setting a new team-high for the most triples in a game this season. Donovan Mitchell alone matched the Nuggets from distance, going 6-of-10 and finishing with a game-high 28 points along with six assists, three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Cleveland's previous 3-point season high was 21 in a Nov. 15 win against the Chicago Bulls, though the Cavs were slightly more efficient in that contest at 48.8% from beyond the arc.

Jokic still has a ways to go to break the all-time triple-double mark held by his teammate Russell Westbrook, who picked up No. 200 on Nov. 19 against the Memphis Grizzlies. That remains Westbrook's only triple-double this season; the 36-year-old hasn't registered multiple in a campaign since 2022-23, when he had four with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jokic is in line to pass Oscar Robertson for the second-most all time, potentially as early as next season. Thursday's result against the Cavaliers was the 29-year-old's ninth triple-double in 17 games so far; he didn't record his ninth triple-double last season until his 21st contest and finished the year with 25 in 79 appearances.