Nikola Jokić

Before some fans could even begin buffering the highlights of his 56-point, 16-rebound, eight-assist masterpiece from the previous night, Nikola Jokić — as generationally-great talents are wont to do — was already clocked in, collecting a performance of near-equal brilliance. Settled into a heatwave that, both on-court and statistically, seemed to know no bounds, the Denver Nuggets’ superstar center tests the could-be limits, collecting an end-of-half inbounds pass before inching as closely as possible to a reasonable buzzer-beating heave. Setting up camp around the Atlanta Hawks’ midcourt logo, Jokić, with Clint Capela’s defensive reach adding to the list of obstacles, calmly elevates, burying a 40-foot rainbow to close out a 25-point opening half. Jokić’s urgent, unforgettable play on December 8, 2024 ultimately yielded fruitful results, as the offense assembled both 43 assists and a wire-to-wire victory. Otherworldly as usual, the Serbian center recorded a double take-worthy 48 points (on 17-of-29 shooting), 14 rebounds, eight assists, three steals, three 3-pointers, and a +25 plus-minus. It allowed for NBA history’s first-ever occurrence of a player accumulating 100+ points, 30+ rebounds, and 15+ assists over a 48-hour span.