DENVER — Nikola Jokic only has one name ahead of him now — Russell Westbrook. The three-time NBA MVP tallied his fifth triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets moved to 5-2 in their 122-112 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday. In accomplishing the feat, Jokic records his 190th career triple-double, including regular and postseason, moving him ahead of NBA legend Oscar Robertson for second all-time in the league’s record book.

Jokic got off to a fast start, becoming the first player in the league over the last 30 years to score 19 points, grab seven rebounds, toss eight assists, while snagging two steals in the first half. He kept it up in the second half as the Nuggets extended their lead with Bam Adebayo sidelined due to a foot injury. Jokic finished with 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting, 15 rebounds, 16 assists and three steals. Only Russell Westbrook’s 215 combined triple-doubles are ahead of Jokic in the NBA book.

“Yeah, I think against teams that change up their defenses, and they do because they have to, they play small and they mix it up. He was made to play against different defenses. He has a feel for space that I’ve never seen before,” David Adelman said. “Whether it’s a zone, a matchup zone, a man or they’re doubling him, his comfort level with how he sees the floor is second to none.”

“We always say, just don’t get tired of it. Enjoy it while it’s here. As a fan, anybody who watches basketball in general, this is something that you’re never going to see again.”

For the 3rd time this season, and 71st time in his #Nuggets career, Nikola Jokić has a triple double in the first 3 quarters of play.

He now has 5 total on the season, while the rest of the NBA has 5.

It’s his 7th against the Heat (Denver 6-0 currently).#MileHighBasketball

— Statzman (@RealStatzman) November 6, 2025

Jokic had to check back in late despite a double-digit lead because the bench minutes weren’t good and Jamal Murray struggled on Wednesday. Denver was outplayed by eight points in the 11 minutes Jokic was off the floor. Murray, meanwhile, shot just 4-of-15, scoring 14 and only tossing three assists.

What was good was the effort from Peyton Watson, who had a career high of 10 rebounds and two blocks. That was matched by his fellow 2022 first-round pick Christina Bruan, who tied a career high with seven to go with eight rebounds and 11 points.

But sidekicking Jokic was really Aaron Gordon. The two took advantage of the hole left by Bam in the Heat frontcourt for the team’s 15th win in 16 times out against Miami, including the 2023 Finals. That’s largely because of Jokic’s dominance against the Heat’s bigs. Gordon was a big help, though, scoring 24 points and grabbing six rebounds.

“These are the kind of games you realize Aaron’s a power forward, he’s a man, and so they play small, he’s going to eat in the paint, and he did,” Adelman said. “They (Jokic and Gordon) just have such a good synergy together. The big pick and roll, we got behind them a lot, which is a tough play to guard.”

Jokic’s large rebounding number just paced the Nuggets, who beat the Heat 61-38 on the glass.

“That’s paramount, and that’s how we’re going to play against those teams. What we give up, and some of the quickness, part of it, and trying to guard some of these positions, we can dominate the paint like we have over the years,” Adelman said. “So 62 points in the paint. The craziest thing is 21 offensive rebounds, 22 second chance points, but only eight for 21 in those opportunities. It could have been an enormous night.”

What’s next for Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets

The game was still in hand for the Nuggets; they haven’t faced a win probability under 75% in the second half at home so far this season. They’ve won their first four at Ball Arena and are now 5-2 on the year. They’ve got two more games at home in this stand, hosting Golden State on Friday as part of the NBA Cup, then Indiana on Saturday.

“It’s so important in the West this year (to win at home), I just think it’s if you’re going to rely on going out and beating some of these teams at their place twice because you’re fumbling at home, that’s not good,” Adelman said. “I knew this home stand would say a lot about that exact question: are we ready to really protect home court? And I think if you want to stay up in those standings with these teams that are winning every night, this is so important to win here.”