Around the NBA: Jokic’s Record Night, Lakers Exposed, Thunder Warning Signs

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By Henry Liao

In the Denver Nuggets’ NBA Christmas Day 142-138 overtime win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, Nikola Jokic established an NBA record for most points in a five-minute overtime for a regular season or playoff game with 18 points, obliterating the previous OT mark of 17 previously owned by Golden State’s Stephen Curry in 2016.

The Joker from Serbia, who is averaging a triple-double in points, rebounds (No. 2 in the NBA) and assists (No. 1 in the NBA), also became the first player in NBA annals to record at least 55 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a game (he had 56-16-15).

Christmas Day belonged to Jokic, but the ripple effects are being felt across the NBA. [photo credit: Denver Nuggets Instagram]

Jokic’s 56-pointer is the third highest in Christmas Day games in NBA history behind New York’s Bernard King’s 60 (vs. New Jersey, 114-120) and the Philadelphia Warriors’ Wilt Chamberlain’s 59 (at New York, 136-135 2OT).

Both King’s and Chamberlain’s scoring feasts came in a losing cause.

Two other players reached the 50-point plateau on the holiday — 50 by Luka Doncic (2023, Dallas at Phoenix) and 50 by Rick Barry (1966, San Francisco at Cincinnati).

Jokic far leads the NBA in T-D games this season with 15 and is now just two short of Oscar Robertson’s second-place total (181) behind the Sacramento Kings’ Russell Westbrook with 179. Robertson started his distinguished NBA tenure with the Cincinnati Royals, the harbinger of the Kings.

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The LA Lakers are not for real, let alone an NBA title threat.

The Lakers, at 19-10 with a three-game losing streak for the first time this season, own an immaculate 10-0 record in “clutch” games, meaning games decided by at least five points in the last five minutes of regulation or OT, but are a frigid 9-10 in all other contests.

The Lakers’ 10 losses so far also were all by at least 10 points. They are being outscored by 0.5 points per game.

Extra Possessions to Have

The Houston Rockets are averaging an NBA-best 16.1 offensive rebounds per game this season, 43 percent higher than the league average and on pace for the best margin in NBA history.

That is the highest rate since 1994-95. The NBA recorded the stats for offensive rebounds only in 1973-74 along with steals and blocked shots.

No Repeat

Put this on record this early.

The reigning NBA titlist Oklahoma City Thunder won’t repeat as champions next June.

The Thunder are 0-3 against the San Antonio Spurs this season — meaning that the Alamo City unit has won the head-to-head season series this early with still a pair of games left on the schedule.

Of the Thunder’s five defeats so far, three were pinned by the Spurs over the past two weeks.

It’s the first time that three of a team’s first five losses of the season have come against the same opponent since the 1966-67 wars.

Key NBA Dates

The NBA trading deadline is Feb. 6, 2026, 3:00 a.m., Manila time.

The unofficial start to the trading season unwrapped last December 16 (MT) when players who inked free-agent contracts during the summer became eligible to be peddled elsewhere. That constituted nearly 90 percent of the list of NBA players.

January 6 (MT) is the first day that an NBA team can sign a player to a 10-day contract.

Only two 10-day deals are allowed. After that, such players need to be waived or signed for the remainder of the season.

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Henry Liao

Columnist at Sports Bytes PH

Henry has been into NBA chronicling since 1968 during his younger days at Xavier. He spent his grade school and high school years (1962-72) at Xavier School and then attended De La Salle Taft in college.

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Around the NBA: Jokic’s Record Night, Lakers Exposed, Thunder Warning Signs

Extra Possessions to Have

No Repeat

Key NBA Dates