Simply when it seemed just like the NBA was winding down on Christmas, two of the league’s greatest stars mixed to supply some late drama in among the finest video games of the 2025-26 season.
In a contest that featured a double-digit rally, a game-tying fadeaway 3 and a wild time beyond regulation that featured a outstanding stretch of pinpoint shotmaking, Nikola Jokić outdueled Anthony Edwards to guide the Denver Nuggets to a 142-138 time beyond regulation victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Enviornment.
Jokić completed with 56 factors, 16 rebounds and 15 assists, together with 16 factors within the last three minutes of time beyond regulation after Minnesota had taken a nine-point lead. It’s the 179th triple double of Jokić profession, as he broke his personal document for the highest-scoring triple double in NBA Christmas historical past. Solely two different gamers — Bernard King in 1984 and Wilt Chamberlain in 1961 — have ever scored extra factors on the vacation.
Edwards, who was battling shoulder ache for a lot of the evening, ended with 44 factors, together with a game-tying 3 that accomplished a 24-9 Timberwolves run to power time beyond regulation after Denver took a 15-point lead with slightly below six minutes left.
The Timberwolves would ultimately take a nine-point lead within the further body earlier than Jokić took over. The Nuggets’ star scored 18 factors within the last three minutes of time beyond regulation, together with a game-tying floater with 1:26 left. He even drew a delay of recreation technical foul on Edwards by deflecting the ball off the Timberwolves’ famous person whereas making an attempt to inbound a move with lower than 30 seconds left.
The most effective participant within the NBA? It’s apparent
Over 13 hours of hoops on Christmas Day, the NBA did a wonderful job of placing all method of staff and participant on its signature day. There was the outdated guard of Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. We noticed a number of the most promising gamers of the following era with gamers like Cooper Flagg, Victor Wembanyama and Amen Thompson. Then there have been the lads of the second like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Edwards and Jalen Brunson.
When the day was carried out, one factor was as clear because it has ever been. Nikola Jokić is the very best of all of them, and it’s not significantly shut.
The three-time MVP watched everybody else get their probability to placed on a present all through the day, then capped it off with a jaw-dropper in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets have been lacking three starters as a result of harm and going through one of many hottest groups within the league. It didn’t matter, as a result of Jokić is that rattling good. He scored 18 factors within the first quarter, had a triple-double halfway by means of the third and added 18 of his 56 factors in time beyond regulation.
Jokić is main the NBA in assists and rebounds. He entered the evening taking pictures higher than 60 % from the sector, 43 % from 3-point vary and 84 % from the free-throw line. He’s probably the most unstoppable power within the league and among the finest offensive gamers to ever play the sport. Full cease.
“It’s an honor to look at him play basketball,” Charles Barkley stated at halftime.
That’s precisely what it looks like.
NIKOLA JOKIĆ WITH VIDEO GAME STATS ON CHRISTMAS DAY 🤯
🃏 56 PTS🃏 16 REB🃏 15 AST🃏 2 BLK🃏 4 3PM
THE FIRST 55/15/15 GAME IN NBA HISTORY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/8LPXlFWO6V
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and an outstanding expertise on the defending champions in Oklahoma Metropolis. He averages about seven fewer rebounds and 4 fewer assists than Jokić. Luka Dončić is having an unbelievable season for the Los Angeles Lakers. His taking pictures splits are 45 % from the sector, 32 % from 3 and 80 % from the free-throw line, nowhere close to Jokić’s effectivity.
This was eerily much like a recreation in Denver final season by which Jokić put up a 60-point triple-double. The Wolves have been capable of win that one. However not this time. Nobody else can do what Jokić does. And he’s carried out it to Minnesota twice. —Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves senior author
Anthony Edwards simply could be Wolverine
In his five-plus seasons within the NBA, the Timberwolves’ star has made a behavior out of struggling what seems to be a debilitating harm early within the recreation, solely to shake it off and are available again as if he by no means felt higher.
The most recent, and one of many biggest, examples got here within the nightcap of the NBA’s Christmas extravaganza. Felled by a shoulder harm within the first half that seemed to be extremely painful, Edwards shrugged all of it off to rally the Minnesota Timberwolves from 16 factors down within the fourth quarter to ship a recreation to time beyond regulation that had no enterprise going there.
The Wolves have been useless within the water for a lot of the second and third quarters, in addition to within the begin of the fourth quarter, whereas Edwards stored flexing his proper shoulder. He was injured after scoring on a reverse layup and falling to the bottom, the place he crashed into teammate Mike Conley’s knee. After scoring 14 factors within the first quarter, Edwards was scoreless within the second. He was even much less efficient on protection, the place he died on each display that examined that tender shoulder.
However he got here alive within the fourth quarter, scoring 13 factors and hitting a ridiculous turnaround 3-pointer over Murray with 1.1 seconds to play in regulation that compelled time beyond regulation. He scored 11 factors in time beyond regulation and staked the Wolves to a nine-point lead, however they couldn’t maintain off Jokić and Murray down the stretch.
Edwards’ evening ended when he was given a second technical foul late in time beyond regulation, prompting an ejection. His frustration with the officers was evident all through the sport, however it wasn’t till it had slipped by means of his fingers that he actually misplaced his cool.
Edwards was 14-of-25 from the sector, hit 5 3-pointers and was 11-of-13 on the free throw line. When his adrenaline acquired rolling and the Timberwolves wanted him, any ache he was feeling went away.
Edwards went to work. It simply wasn’t fairly sufficient. —Krawczynski
