The Nuggets did so many incredible, historic things this postseason

DENVER – A theme developed during the 2023 NBA postseason.

On Nuggets game nights, the ESPN Stats & Info Twitter account was ablaze with historic accomplishments being made by the Nuggets’ duo of stars: Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

So was the case throughout the Nuggets' four-game sweep of their longtime postseason rival Los Angeles Lakers, and it continued into the franchise's first-ever NBA Finals.

Let’s take a look, game by game, at a few of the amazing things the Nuggets accomplished:

NBA FINALS GAME 5 – WORLD CHAMP EDITION

The biggest piece of history: The Nuggets won the first title in the 47-year history of the franchise.

It was a dominant run to the title for the Nuggets, who lost only four games en route to the championship – one in the Western Conference First Round against Minnesota, two in the conference semifinals against Phoenix and their Game 2 loss to Miami in the Finals.

It was the fourth-fewest postseason losses for a team on its way to its first-ever championship.

Jokic makes more entries in the record books

Nikola Jokic became the first player in league history to lead all players in points, rebounds and assists in a single postseason, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

In winning Finals MVP, Jokic also made history. He became the lowest-drafted player (41st selection, 2014) ever to win the award. He's also now the 1st player drafted outside the top-15 to win both Finals MVP and regular season MVP in his career, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

All he does is win

Nuggets rookie Christian Braun, a member of the NCAA Champion Kansas Jayhawks a year ago, joined a list of just four other players to win a college title and an NBA title in consecutive years. The other players to do it:

• Magic Johnson
• Bill Russell
• Billy Thompson
• Henry Bibby

NBA FINALS GAME 4

The prolific postseason continued for Jokic, who became the first player in NBA history with 500 points, 250 rebounds and 150 assists in a single postseason.

He eclipsed that mark in the third quarter of Friday's Game 4.

Jokic finished Game 4 with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists in a game where he battled an ankle injury early and foul trouble late.

Murray became the first player ever to record 10 or more assists in each of his first four NBA Finals games.

He dished out 12 assists to go with 15 points in the win.

NBA FINALS GAME 3

Nikola Jokic became the first player to ever record at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in an NBA Finals game.

He and Jamal Murray became the first pair of teammates to each record a 30-point triple-double in the same game – not just in Finals or postseason history, but ever.

Denver Nuggets

Nuggets' Jokic, Murray did something in Game 3 no other duo has ever done. Ever.

Landon Haaf

NBA FINALS GAME 2

Nikola Jokic became the first center in the history of the game to record 500 points and 100 assists in a single postseason, according to the NBA's Twitter account.

Game 2 of the Finals also made Jokic the third player at any position to log 500 points, 200 rebounds and 150 assists in one postseason.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, he joins LeBron James and Larry Bird as the only players to ever achieve that postseason stat line.

NBA FINALS GAME 1

Nikola Jokic shattered a LeBron James record by logging 10 points and 10 assists in one half of an NBA Finals game. Jokic and LeBron are the only players in the last 25 years to do it – but James accomplished the feat in his 42nd Finals appearance, while Jokic did it in his first.

He and Jamal Murray also became the third pair of teammates to record 10 assists each in an NBA Finals game. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did it three times with the Chicago Bulls, and Magic Johnson and James Worthy did it twice with the Los Angeles Lakers.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS GAME 4

Triple-double machine

Game 4 marked Jokic's eighth triple-double of the postseason – the most by a single player in a single postseason.

He also became the second player in league history to average a triple-double in multiple postseason series in a single year, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

He joined Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (1967) in accomplishing the feat. Chamberlain's 1967 Philadelphia won the title.

Denver Nuggets

Jokic named West Finals MVP; averaged triple-double in series sweep

Landon Haaf

Dynamic duo

Jokic (30) and Murray (25) each scored 25 or more points in Game 4, marking the seventh such game this postseason. That's tied for the second-most 25-point pairings in the first three rounds of any single playoffs in league history.

First-ever sweep

The Western Conference Finals were the 44th playoff series in franchise history, but the first-ever postseason series sweep for the Nuggets.

GAME 3

Rare company for The Joker

Nikola Jokic is the 2nd player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 800 assists in a single season, including regular season and playoffs.

Oscar Robertson (1961-62) is the only other player in history to accomplish the feat.

Murray magic

With 23 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 and 17 in the first quarter of Game 3, Jamal Murray officially logged one of the best two-quarter stretches in the history of the league.

GAME 2

Another triple-double accomplishment for Jokic

After notching 23 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists Thursday, Jokic is the only player in league history to record four consecutive 20-point triple-doubles in the postseason.

He’s averaging a triple-double during these playoffs, posting an incredible 30.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game.

Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic made all kinds of history with virtuoso Game 1 performance vs. LA

Landon Haaf

Murray’s monster fourth quarter

Murray’s 23 points in the final frame gave him four career 20-point fourth quarters, which is the most such achievements since 1997.

Murray flurry

The Nuggets guard also scored the last 12 points of the contest, which is the second-highest consecutive points streak to close out a game in a conference finals or finals game in the last quarter-century.

It’s second only to LeBron James, who scored 25 straight points to end a 2007 playoff game against the Detroit Pistons.

Yikes, LeBron...

Lakers superstar LeBron James finds himself on the opposite side of history after Game 2. He’s missed 19 straight fourth-quarter three-point attempts – the longest such streak in 25 years.

GAME 1

Another monster triple-double for Nikola Jokic

Jokic registered 30 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for the fourth time in his playoff career. That’s the most all-time, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

And the accuracy, to boot

Jokic is also the first player with a 30-point triple-double and a 70% field goal percentage in back-to-back playoff games.

Historic half

Jokic became the first player in a quarter-century to record 15 points, 15 boards and 5 assists in one half of a postseason game.

Historic quarter

The Serbian sensation also became the first player to have 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks in any quarter of any game – regular season or postseason – in the same time frame.

Battle of the bigs

Jokic and Lakers center Anthony Davis became the third set of opposing centers to each score 30-plus points in a playoff game. Davis scored 40 in Game 1.