Nikola Jokic

On November 8, 2019, Jokić made a game-winning jumper against the Philadelphia 76ers with 1.2 seconds remaining, to give the Nuggets a 98–97 victory, rallying from a 21-point deficit. In the next game two days later, he hit yet another game-winning jumper in a 100–98 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On January 6, 2020, Jokić scored a then career-high 47 points against the Atlanta Hawks in a 123–115 road victory. On February 4, he recorded 30 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 98–95 victory over the Utah Jazz; it was the first 30/20/10 game by any NBA player in four years, and only the third since Abdul-Jabbar in 1976. On January 30, Jokić was selected to his second consecutive All-Star nod, becoming the first Nugget since Anthony in 2011 to have back-to-back honors.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Nuggets faced the Portland Trail Blazers. They would be without two of their best players, Jamal Murray and Will Barton, who were both out with injuries. Regardless, Jokić continued his elite level of play throughout the series, averaging 33 points (on 50/40/90 shooting splits), 10.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. In Game 6, Jokić scored 27 of his 36 points in the second half to lead the Nuggets to a 126–115 series-clinching victory. Denver would match up against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals. In a Game 3 loss, Jokić tallied 32 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, joining Abdul-Jabbar and Chamberlain as the only players in NBA playoff history to post a 30/20/10 game. The Nuggets were eliminated from the playoffs in Game 4, with Jokić being ejected late in the third quarter after being assessed a flagrant foul two for making a hard swipe at the ball and catching the Suns' Cameron Payne in the face. For the playoffs, Jokić averaged 29.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.

On November 8, 2021, in a 113–96 victory over the Miami Heat, Jokić and opposing forward Markieff Morris were both ejected after Morris shoved Jokić, leading Jokić to shoulder Morris in the back. The next day, the NBA announced that they had suspended Jokić for one game without pay. On December 6, Jokić recorded his 60th triple-double, in a 109–97 loss to the Chicago Bulls, overtaking Larry Bird for eighth on the all-time career triple-double list. On December 27, Jokić tied his career best with 22 rebounds and added 26 points, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks in a 103–100 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers, and became the first player to record 25-plus points, 20-plus rebounds, and five-plus assists in consecutive games since Charles Barkley in 1988.

On March 6, in a 138–130 overtime victory over the Pelicans, Jokić recorded a triple-double with 46 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals, and four blocks. He scored 30 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and joined Chamberlain as the only players to record a 45-point triple-double whilst shooting 70 percent from the field in the same game. Ten days later in a 127–109 victory over the Washington Wizards, Jokić became the second-fastest player to record 10,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, and 3,000 assists. He achieved this feat in his 516th NBA appearance, one game short of Larry Bird's record (515). On March 26, Jokić recorded 35 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks on 13-of-15 shooting from the field in a 113–107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He became the second player in NBA history after Chamberlain with three or more career 35-point, 10-rebound, and five-assist games on 85 percent shooting.

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