Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s bizarre 1st half vs. 76ers is like just 2 others in NBA history

Tuesday night brought a bit of rest for the Denver Nuggets, as they faced the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers at home. In the end, they took as easy of a victory as fans expected them to, demolishing the 76ers by 28 points, 124-96, in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score would suggest. Nikola Jokic even had a bit of fun and didn’t need to dominate the interior against the Joel Embiid-less 76ers.

Jokic, in fact, put up a bonkers stat line in the first half of the Nuggets win that puts him in the company of 6’0″ tall point guards — which is exactly how he plays aside from the fact that he’s nearly seven-foot tall and he’s also arguably the most efficient post scorer in today’s NBA.

In the first half, Jokic put up two points, four rebounds, and 10 assists as the Nuggets ran out to a 72-40 lead. The only players to record that exact stat line in a half of basketball since the 1996-97 season are Chris Paul and Raul Neto, as per Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports.

This is what makes Jokic such an elite player. He doesn’t need to score the basketball to make his teammates better, and he’s perfectly content with not scoring if it meant that his team would dominate anyway.

The Nuggets star ended up with eight points, seven rebounds, and 14 assists in just 25 minutes of play as the team scarcely needed him to be out on the court to take care of business.

Nuggets to hit their stride heading into the playoffs

The Nuggets have battled some inconsistencies this season, especially on the defensive end, but they are still one of the most terrifying teams to face in a playoff setting.

Blowout wins like the one they had on Tuesday would help keep their stars fresh for the stretch run, and their next game tomorrow night on the second of a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies is one that they should handle rather easily.

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