David Adelman has a couple of decades to get some Jelen in the refrigerator for an all-time rewatch.
“They’re going to show this game 20 years from now, and I’ll crack open a beer and watch it,” Adelman said after another historic night from Nikola Jokic in Denver’s 142-138 overtime win over Minnesota on Thursday at Ball Arena.
Jokic’s performance against the Timberwolves is going to be the reason for Nuggets fans to toast to the three-time Most Valuable Player for many years to come — and there’s no more appropriate choice than Jelen, an easy-drinking, light lager that is Serbia’s most-popular brew.
Jokic even appeared in one of the brand’s commercials earlier in his career, and he deserved a couple of cold ones after dropping 56 points on 15 of 21 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-6 mark from the 3-point range. He also made all but one of his 23 free throws and set a new NBA record for the most points scored by an individual in overtime with 18.
“I don’t think we talk about how clutch Jok is enough,” said Jamal Murray, who admitted he didn’t have his full arsenal after tweaking his ankle early in the game.
The 16 rebounds and 15 assists made for a singular performance in NBA history. It was the first game in NBA history where a player recorded 55 points with 15 rebounds and 15 assists and the first 50-point triple-double on Christmas.
“Bro, it’s unbelievable,” Peyton Watson said in the postgame locker room. “There’s no way that we could take it for granted or it should go over people’s heads what Jok did tonight and every night, honestly.”
“We’re watching history on a night-to-night basis. That’s why I want to continue to stress to the fans just how important it is to show up here and really enjoy this and really not take this for granted — because this is something that doesn’t happen again,” he added. “We will never see anything like this again.”
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, front, dribbles past Minnesota Timberwolves center Julius Randle in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Joker often jokes about having a couple of cold ones and lying to his kids about his achievements once his playing days come to an end, but there’s no exaggeration needed when it comes to what happened on Christmas 2025.
“I had a good game, of course,” Jokic said. “But I don’t know what I’m going to look back and say.”
Jokic was already on his way to a big night when he posted 18 points, five rebounds and four assists in the first quarter. He completed triple-double No. 179, closing within two such games of tying Oscar Robertson for second on the NBA’s all-time list, early in the third quarter. He finished regulation with 38 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists, but a late Minnesota run made it look like another massive game from the best player to ever put on a Nuggets uniform would end in a loss.
Jokic’s highest-scoring game, a 61-point triple-double against the Timberwolves in April, came in a double overtime defeat. It looked like history was going to repeat itself after Minnesota started overtime on a 9-0 run that spanned the first two minutes of the five-minute period.
A couple of Jokic 3-pointers in the next minute had Denver within two points less than a minute later.
On the first one, Spencer Jones screened Jokic’s man, Jaden McDaniels, who paid the price for going under the screen. A couple of possessions later, Jones recognized a Timberwolves adjustment. McDaniels switched onto Jones before a screen was set, while Rudy Gobert stayed close to the rim, so Jones screened his own man, a decision that gave Jokic a wide-open look at a momentum-tilting triple that touched nothing by nylon.
It should come as no surprise that Jokic was happier to share the credit.
“Those screens were really good. (It’s) just the sacrifice that he’s willing to do,” Jokic said of his young teammate. “He’s listening. He’s trying to be the best possible version of himself on the floor.”
After his final 3 of the night, Jokic grabbed his final rebound and subsequently tied the game with a driving floater. He went on to sink a couple of go-ahead free throws after an Adelman challenge reversed a foul call and sent Gobert to the bench with six fouls. He closed out the Timberwolves by going 6 of 7 at the line in the final 30 seconds.
During his eight-plus seasons with the Nuggets, there have been numerous Jokic performances that warrant being replayed in the years to come that have ended in dramatic losses. Those are the ones that will force Adelman to immediately change the channel. But the masterpiece that combined all-time efficiency and production is plenty of reason to produce a “Ziveli!” — the most popular toast in Serbia.
“He makes the right play all the time. When you do that, I just think your efficiency stays where it’s at, because in your mind, you’re playing with the right flow. You’re just making the right play each time. I’m just proud of him — the way he played and his whole approach to the game,” Adelman said. “Just don’t get tired of this. It’s the best player in the world man. It’s just the bottom line.”