On Tuesday night, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets opened up their NBA title defense 119-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the same team they knocked out of the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals a year ago. Jokic was dominant on the evening, recording 29 points, 11 assists, and 13 rebounds in the Denver victory.

Jokic also made a bit of NBA history in the win, notching his second career triple double in a season opener, which ties him with Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, and Russell Westbrook for second all time, per Sportsnet Stats. Leading the NBA all time in that category is Oscar Robertson with four such games.

Jokic also moved up the overall triple doubles list in the win.

On Tuesday, Nikola Jokic seemed to pick up right where he left off at the end of the 2023 postseason. In that playoff run, Jokic put together one of the most dominant stretches in NBA history, leading Denver to the NBA championship and winning his first career Finals MVP in the process. In the playoff run, the Nuggets didn’t face elimination a single time and defeated the Lakers in a four game sweep to reach the Finals.

Any concerns about a potential “championship hangover” were quickly quelled on Tuesday evening. Jokic and the Nuggets stormed out of the gates after receiving their championship rings and raising their banner before the game, getting out to a double-digit lead quickly.

Although the Lakers made things interesting at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Jokic’s steady presence helped push the Nuggets over the finish line down the stretch for the win.