The NBA‘s Christmas Day slate featured several standout performances, but none came close to the historic display put on by Nikola Jokic. The Serbian superstar was the undisputed headline of the holiday, leading the Denver Nuggets to a gritty 142-138 overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves while rewriting the league record books.
Jokic finished the night with a staggering 56 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists, making him the first player in NBA history to record a 55-15-15 game. His scoring output also marked the third-highest total in NBA Christmas Day history, trailing only Bernard King’s 60 points in 1984 and Wilt Chamberlain’s 59 in 1961.
With this performance, the Joker joined an elite fraternity—including King, Chamberlain, Rick Barry, and Luka Doncic—as the only players to ever reach the 50-point plateau on Christmas Day.
Jokic’s dominance spanned the entire contest, but his takeover in the extra period was unprecedented. Of his 56 points, 18 came in the five-minute overtime, breaking the previous NBA record of 17 points in an overtime period set by Stephen Curry in 2016.
This brilliant triple-double was the second of Jokic’s career on December 25th, with the first coming in 2022. He now joins Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history with multiple triple-doubles on Christmas Day.
The Nuggets needed every bit of Jokic’s heroics, as the team was severely short-handed due to injuries to Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun. Jokic found a formidable running mate in Jamal Murray, who fueled the win with 35 points and 10 assists.
Jokic climbs all-time Christmas scoring ranks
The scoring surge allowed the Serbian center to leapfrog several legends on the all-time Christmas Day scoring list. Jokic has now cracked the top 20 with 195 career points on the holiday, moving past icons such as Michael Jordan, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Perhaps most impressive is the efficiency of his climb: Jokic has reached these heights in just six career Christmas Day appearances. For comparison, the all-time leader LeBron James sits atop the list with 525 points across 20 appearances.