The outrageous moment came at the end of the third quarter when Jokić collected the ball with 1.7 seconds remaining and flung a one-handed buzzer-beater almost the entire length of the court.
As members of the home crowd jumped to their feet, the three-time MVP seemed hardly surprised or impressed by the audacious piece of skill, nonchalantly high-fiving his teammates before walking off the court.
“When you play you want to make every shot,” Jokić told reporters after Thursday’s game. “I took it to make it and did make it. It was of course a lucky shot, it’s not a high-percentage shot.
“It’s three points,” he added. “I think it’s going to help us.”
Jokić ended the game with 35 points, 22 rebounds, and 17 assists, completing his fifth-straight triple-double before the fourth quarter. Of his league-leading 20 triple-doubles this season, 14 have come before the closing period.
It was also only the second time in NBA history that a player has recorded a 35-20-15 game after Wilt Chamberlain in 1968.
“Historical,” was how Nuggets coach Michael Malone described Jokić’s performance, adding: “These numbers are translating to wins. These are not empty stats, these are not hollow numbers.
“You think about his 10 years here, you think about the three MVPs, you think about the championship, the finals MVP, and this is the best season he’s ever had. And that’s saying a lot – just continued greatness.”