There's a reason why most consider Nuggets center Nikola Jokic to be the best player in the world. He showed it on Monday night.
No more than 48 hours after the final buzzer sounded on Denver's Game 7 win over the Clippers, Jokic and his team were at OKC's Paycom Center to face the 1-seed Thunder. To say that Jokic was the best player in the arena would be an understatement.
Despite the residual mental, physical, and emotional fatigue from a seven-game series, Jokic turned in arguably the best game of his playoff career — and his playoff career already consists of quite a few impressive performances.
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Here's a closer look at Jokic's absurd numbers in the stunning Game 1 victory.
Nikola Jokic Game 1 stats vs. Thunder
Jokic did it all in Monday's win, becoming the 13th player in NBA playoff history to turn in a double-double of 40-plus points and 20-plus rebounds. That group narrows down to four when considering players who also recorded five-plus assists.
Denver's big fella dished out six.
Here's a complete look at Jokic's one-of-a-kind stat line in all of its glory:
- 42 points
- 22 rebounds
- 6 assists
- 1 steal
- 2 blocks
- 7 turnovers
- 15-29 (51.7%) FG
- 2-6 (33.3%) 3FG
- 10-13 (76.9%) FT
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As evidenced by the numbers, the Thunder defense did not have an answer for Jokic.
He saved his best for when it mattered most, scoring 18 of his 42 points in the game's final frame, including a clutch staredown 3-pointer that cut the deficit to one point and set up Denver's furious comeback finish.
MORE: How OKC's decision to foul late backfired in Denver's stunning Game 1 win
Unsurprisingly, the list of players Jokic joined with his performance is a who's who of all-time greats. Unlike Shaquille O'Neal and Giannis Antetokounmpo, however, Jokic's performance came in a win.
| Player | Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Wilt Chamberlain | March 27, 1962 | 42 | 37 | 5 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | March 21, 1967 | 41 | 22 | 5 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | June 6, 2001 | 44 | 20 | 5 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | May 13, 2022 | 44 | 20 | 6 |
| Nikola Jokic | May 5, 2025 | 42 | 22 | 6 |
With a historic performance — and a thrilling win — under his belt, Jokic will look to continue this level of play to help the Nuggets pull off the second-round upset.
When it comes down to it, Jokic is prioritizing one thing only.
"We are definitely getting (better) especially lately," Jokic said after Game 1 of the West semis. "We are accepting it. We just want to win."
They're now three wins away from the Western Conference Finals.