Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook are making history together on the court.
The Denver Nuggets superstar duo became the first pair of teammates to record a triple-double on the same night twice in NBA history.
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On Friday night, the Nuggets defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 124-105.
Jokic finished the game with 35 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds, achieving his 15th hat-trick this season.
Westbrook scored 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had 10 assists.
“I think that's the way we both play,” Jokic said.
“I'm glad we won games because that's more important than statistics.
“It's the special relationship, how players are willing to run the lanes and get to the corner.
“They know the ball will find them.”
Jokic and Westbrook also became the first pair of teammates to record a 25-point triple-double in the same game in the regular season.
“Awesome,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
“This is so crazy. We're watching history, guys.”
Jokic and Westbrook completed their first combined triple-double on December 30 against the Utah Jazz.
Jokic scored 36 points, 22 rebounds, and 11 assists in that game, while Westbrook scored 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Westbrook credited his head coach with giving him the freedom to play his style of basketball.
“Being able to do that allows me to be able to make the people around me better,” Westbrook said.
“Try to give this team some leadership, some energy, some toughness.
New rights deal
The NBA has signed an 11-year contract with three networks for the rights to the league starting in the 2025-26 season.
There will be no games on TNT for the first time since the network launched in 1988.
The Walt Disney Company will continue to show the league with 80 regular season games on ESPN and ABC.
They will also feature approximately 18 first- and second-round playoff games, conference finals series for 10 of their 11 years, and will remain the home of the NBA Finals.
NBC will return as NBA broadcaster for the first time since 2002.
The network will show up to 100 games per season across its channels and Peacock streaming service.
It will also be home to the NBA All-Star and showcase approximately 28 first- and second-round playoff games.
NBC will show one conference finals series for six of the 11 years, alternating with new broadcaster Amazon Prime.
Amazon will show 66 NBA regular season games, including Black Friday.
The streaming service is also home to the final stages of the NBA Cup and the entire Play-In Championship.
Prime will also broadcast about a third of the first- and second-round playoff games.
“We're just starting to figure it out.”
The Nuggets are 22-15 on the season and currently hold the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
They are currently nine games behind the No. 1 seed in the West.
Jokic is averaging 31.6 points, 13.0 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game.
Westbrook is averaging 12.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.
