Nikola Jokic records triple-double by halftime vs. Timberwolves, 3.5 minutes shy of his NBA record

Nikola Jokic didn’t need long on Tuesday night.

The Denver Nuggets star recorded a triple-double before halftime of their matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The feat took him just 18 minutes, and marks the second-fastest triple-double in his career.

Incredibly, Jokic was still several minutes away from the record he set in 2018. Jokic recorded the fastest triple-double in league history against the Milwaukee Bucks that year in just 14 minutes and 33 seconds.

Jokic’s triple-double on Tuesday is the third-fastest. Jim Tucker of the Syracuse Nationals has the second-fastest at 17 minutes, something he set back in 1955.

Jokic had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists at halftime on Tuesday. His performance led the Nuggets to a 79-48 lead after a dominant first quarter, where Denver held Minnesota to just 19 points and outscored them by 30 points.

From there, Denver simply rode out the clock en route to the 146-112 win. Jokic finished with 20 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes, and didn't play much of the second half. Jokic entered the night averaging 24.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game. The two-time league MVP is in his eighth season with Denver, which took him with the No. 42 overall pick out of Serbia in 2014.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nuggets with 30 points after shooting 11 of 15 from the field, and Aaron Gordon added 24 points and eight assists. The win avenged Sunday's loss to the Timberwolves in Minnesota, and marked the Nuggets' fourth win in five games.

Anthony Edwards dropped 19 points to lead Minnesota, and former Iowa star Luka Garza added 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench. The Timberwolves have lost three of their past five, save for a narrow win over the Golden State Warriors and Sunday's win over Denver.