Nikola Jokic was back to his dominant best against the Indiana Pacers, recording his sixth triple-double of the season with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. While such brilliance is nothing new for the three-time MVP, what truly stood out was his composure. The Serbian stayed calm throughout, avoiding his usual disputes with referees and leaving many to wonder what sparked the change, given that’s not very ‘Jokic Like’.

Despite being held and grabbed several times by Indiana players, Nikola Jokic remained composed, refraining from arguing with officials or seeking calls. After the game, the Denver superstar revealed his new resolution, saying, “That’s my new thing this year. I’m not going to get stressed or yell at the refs or whatever. So, I’m just going to try to comport my energy, and to the basketball plays.”

When pressed further, Jokic explained the reasoning behind his calmer approach. “No, because I think always in most situations I talked to them really respectfully, but I think it’s just there’s no point to waste energy on some if he already called something. He’s not going to change it. He never changes,” the Serbian said, outlining his new focus on conserving energy for the game itself.

“So I think it’s never happened except when you challenge it. So I think you just cannot just try to control what you can control.” After years of locking horns with officials, the Nuggets’ No. 15 is tired and now wants to focus solely on basketball. For someone once known to throw his arms up in frustration after every whistle, that marks real growth, and the Nuggets center is backing his words with consistent composure on the court.

Jokic’s decision seems rooted in experience. Over the years, he has had several tense moments with officials, including one game where his ejection drew the announcers’ reaction, “That’s terrible.” Afterward, Jokic remarked, “Some guys can say whatever…I think sometimes what I said isn’t even a technical.” That was nearly two years ago. Even as recently as this October, he was seen engaging in a long discussion with referees during training camp.

The former NBA champion has no technical fouls to his name this season, which is a steep improvement from the 11 he had during the 2021-22 campaign. However, the season is still young, so this decision by Nikola Jokic will be something to keep an eye on. Meanwhile, even though his stature towards the officials might’ve changed, his knack for breaking records hasn’t.

Nikola Jokic made history through his performance against the Pacers

Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic is already widely regarded by many as one of, if not the best, centers in the history of the game. However, the three-time league MVP somehow still manages a way to improve upon his previous performances. Just this season, after having a phenomenal 2024-25 season, which saw him nearly miss out on his 4th MVP title, Jokic has already tallied six triple-doubles in nine games.

Now, as if that wasn’t impressive enough, his latest one, which he registered in Denver’s 117-100 win over Indiana, has put him next to an NBA icon. The Joker finished Saturday’s game with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. However, what made his night historic was his elite shooting percentage from the field, which was 71.4%.

According to StatMuse, this helped the Joker “break a tie with Wilt to have the most 30 PT triple-doubles on 70 FG% in NBA history.” While this stat alone is out of this world, what makes this even more impressive is the fact that the Denver Nuggets’ big man is the only player in the entire league right now to be averaging a triple-double.

After wrapping his monstrous performance against the Pacers, Nikola Jokic is averaging 25.2 points, along with 13 rebounds and 11.9 assists. The 30-year-old’s red-hot start to the 2025-26 campaign has led his coach to laud his superstar player and recognize that the hoops world is blessed to be witnessing a generational talent like Jokic in his prime.