CNN
 — 

More like a quarterback’s pass than a three-pointer, Nikola Jokić’s scarcely believable 66-foot shot pretty much summed up his historic performance in the Denver Nuggets’ 132-123 win over the Sacramento Kings.

The outrageous moment came at the end of the third quarter when Jokić collected the ball with 1.7 seconds remaining and flung a one-handed buzzer-beater almost the entire length of the court.

As members of the home crowd jumped to their feet, the three-time MVP seemed hardly surprised or impressed by the audacious piece of skill, nonchalantly high-fiving his teammates before walking off the court.

“When you play you want to make every shot,” Jokić told reporters after Thursday’s game. “I took it to make it and did make it. It was of course a lucky shot, it’s not really a high percentage shot.

“It’s three points,” he added. “I think it’s going to help us.”

Jokić ended the game with 35 points, 22 rebounds and 17 assists, completing his fifth-straight triple-double before the fourth quarter. Of his league-leading 20 triple-doubles this season, 14 have come before the closing period.

It was also only the second time in NBA history that a player has recorded a 35-20-15 game after Wilt Chamberlain in 1968.

“Historical,” was how Nuggets coach Michael Malone described Jokić’s performance, adding: “These numbers are translating to wins. These are not empty stats, these are not hollow numbers.

“You think about his 10 years here, you think about the three MVPs, you think about the championship, the finals MVP, and this is the best season he’s ever had. And that’s saying a lot – just continued greatness.”

With the win against the Kings (23-21), Denver improved to 12-3 over the last 15 games and moved to 28-16 on the season.

A 40-point first quarter saw the Nuggets take a comfortable lead at Ball Arena. Their lead had grown to 22 points by the half and 25 points at the end of the third after Jokić had hit his spectacular buzzer-beater.

The Kings, led by DeMar DeRozan’s 24 points and Domantas Sabonis’ 23 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists, rallied towards the end of the game but could only close the gap to nine.

Every Nuggets starter contributed at least 18 points, but it was Jokić who stole the show, shooting 12-of-19 from the floor.

The Nuggets now travel to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday afternoon while the Kings remain on the road, taking on the New York Knicks in the evening.