On Wednesday, the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 109-94 to take a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4. The game was notable for many reasons (it’s the NBA Finals, after all). But one of which was the fact that star Denver duo Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first teammates to post a 30-point triple-double in the same game.
The first teammates. That’s not just for the Finals. That’s not just for the playoffs. That’s for any NBA game ever played. That’s absolutely bonkers stuff.
Joker and Jamal found each other 11 TIMES in Game 3 en route to their monster nights 🤯
— NBA (@NBA) June 8, 2023
Jokic: 32 PTS, 21 REB, 10 AST
Murray: 34 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST
Nuggets seek 3-1 lead Friday at 8:30pm/et on ABC! pic.twitter.com/Bbukl5VWSC
However, in today’s world of high pace and efficiency, per-game player statistics are higher than ever. So, it is likely that we won’t have to wait as long as we did this time to see the next same game, same team 30-point triple-double duo.
So, who could the next team be?
It could be Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Although, Green isn’t really that great of a scorer to hit that 30-point part. It could be Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving (if they stay teammates). It could be Doncic and LeBron James (if they become teammates).
But you know who is one darkhorse duo contender to be the next 30-point triple-double teammates? The pair of All-Stars on the New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
While Williamson has yet to record a triple-double in his short career (let alone a 30-point one), and Ingram only got his first two 30-point triple-doubles this season (against the Charlotte Hornets and Nuggets), they do have the requisite balance necessary to get the job done.
Last season, both of them averaged over 24 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4.5 APG. That’s an indicator that on some uber hot nights when they are playing a high load of minutes that they could each hit the 30/10/10 threshold necessary to join the club that Jokic and Murray are in.
The only major problem in their case for becoming the next duo to accomplish this feat is that they don’t play enough together. Per StatMuse, Ingram and Williamson have only played 93 games together, despite being teammates for four full seasons now.
So, them being the next duo to both get a 30-point triple-double in the same game is still a long shot, but that’s why it took so long for someone to do it in the first place.