Nikola Jokic saves Nuggets on historic performance

The Denver Nuggets got another much-needed win on Tuesday night, defeating the Brooklyn Nets 144-139 in overtime. After a painful 0-2 home start, the Nuggets pulled off back-to-back road wins in overtime against the Raptors and Nets.

But despite back-to-back wins, it doesn't exactly feel like everything is back to normal. These games were difficult and the Raptors and Nets are not expected to be playoff teams this season. At this point, wins are wins, but that's not a sustainable, long-term formula.

The starters are currently playing too many minutes and are carrying too much of a burden. Jokic has played over 40 minutes on consecutive nights and this is just the fourth game of the season. The Nuggets were eliminated from the playoffs last season, blaming exhaustion and fatigue and complaining about the minute load on starters as they chased the one seed down the stretch.

The idea at the start of the season was for the team to rely more heavily on strength and young legs to keep Jokic and the other starters fresh over a long season. But just a week into the season, it seems like that plan has already failed.

The Denver bench was terrible and the Nuggets needed every last second from their starters to get those two early wins. That was truer for the league's MVP and best player, Nikola Jokic, more than anyone else.

On Monday night in Toronto, Jokic scored 40 points for the second straight game, and the Nuggets needed every single point. In Tuesday night's win, Jokic scored an incredible 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists.

To put this accomplishment into historical context, it is only the sixth time in NBA history that a player has achieved these numbers. Oscar Robertson has done it twice, Wilt Chamberlain has done it twice and Russell Westbrook has done it once.

This is also the seventh time in his career that Jokic has reached 25+ points, 15+ rebounds and 15+ assists; That's more than every other active player combined. To take it a step further, there is only one player in NBA history with a 25/15/15 game, a 40+ point game with only 1 or fewer free throws, and a 7+ game in his career completed scored three points.

That player is Nikola Jokic and he has accomplished this feat in three consecutive games. It's almost unbelievable what Jokic has already achieved this season. Just when you think you've reached your ceiling, he takes his game to a new level.

It was amazing to watch and if it stays that way, there's no doubt that the Joker will be picking up his fourth MVP award in a few months. But when it comes to the Nuggets and their chances of winning a title, they can't keep up.

The team simply needs to find a way to keep Jokic fresh and not burn him out during the regular season. The problem is that they also have to be good enough for the games after the regular season ends to matter. It's a delicate balance, but something has to happen.