Ant: Jokic 'might be the best basketball player I've ever seen'
The Minnesota Timberwolves came away with a thrilling 140-139 double-overtime victory, but that didn't make Nikola Jokic's 61-point triple-double feel any less significant.
"That might've been the best game of my life that I've been a part of," T-Wolves star Anthony Edwards said postgame.
"Nikola Jokic. Oh my god, he might be the best basketball player I've ever seen like close up, besides myself. He's incredible. The MVP race is tough. I don't know. He had 60. That is crazy."
Jokic's 61-point performance is an NBA season-high and the most points scored in a triple-double in league history. The three-time MVP joined Luka Doncic and James Harden as the only players to record a 60-point triple-double.
Jokic is only the second player in NBA history to lose despite posting a 50-point triple-double. Wilt Chamberlain also did it in a loss over 60 years ago.
Jokic had 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and a pair of steals to go along with his new career-high in scoring. He played 53 minutes and didn't leave the court after checking back into the contest with 6:38 remaining in the second quarter.
"Nikola came up to me after the third quarter and said, 'Coach, I'm good. Leave me in there. I don't want to come out. Let me just keep playing,'" Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters following the contest, per ESPN.
"He was in a good rhythm, obviously - 61 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds, 2 steals. The guy is Superman."