As Nikola Jokic etched his name alongside Wilt Chamberlain, no one with the Nuggets seemed to have any idea what type of rare air he was occupying.
“I didn’t even realize he had twenty rebounds at the half,” said Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. “That was shocking.”
Then again, since arriving in Denver this summer via trade, Caldwell-Pope said Jokic has surprised him on a nightly basis.
As he annihilated the Hornets for 40 points, a career-high 27 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals, Nuggets coach Michael Malone wasn’t aware, either. All he cared about was beating Charlotte, which the Nuggets did, barely, 119-115.