Reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic joined elite company on Monday as he put together another spectacular performance in the Denver Nuggets' 116-111 home win against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jokic put up a team-high 25 points on eight-of-11 shooting, while adding 17 rebounds and 12 assists. In the process, he joined Hall-of-Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to produce 10 games of at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the same season.

The contest was meant to be a battle of the two top MVP candidates, but 76ers center and award favourite Joel Embiid was ruled out with calf soreness after suiting up for all 13 games this month.

With James Harden also out, Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, while Paul Reed excelled off the bench with 16 points (seven-of-seven), nine rebounds, two steals and a block in just 17 minutes.

The win extends the Nuggets' lead atop the Western Conference to 3.5 games, while their 51-24 record trails only the Milwaukee Bucks (54-21) and the Boston Celtics (52-23) for the league's best. Their 32-6 record at home is the second-best in the league, behind the 32-5 Memphis Grizzlies.

Timberwolves win fourth straight in potential first-round preview

The Minnesota Timberwolves are getting hot at the right time, collecting their fourth win in a row by defeating the Sacramento Kings 119-115 away from home.

Karl-Anthony Towns was sitting out the second leg of the back-to-back after returning from a long-term injury on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors, but the Wolves had seven players score at least 14 points each in a well-rounded effort.

Elite young defender Jaden McDaniels led Minnesota in scoring with 20 points (eight-of-15 shooting), Kyle Anderson dished a game-high 11 assists and Rudy Gobert controlled the paint with 16 points (five-of-nine), 16 rebounds and two blocks.

The win means the Timberwolves leapfrogged the Warriors into the Western Conference's sixth seed, and if the season ended today, they would have a first-round series against the Kings.

Mavericks keep postseason hopes alive

With the Dallas Mavericks' season hanging on by a thread, they took advantage of Luka Doncic's rescinded technical and rode him to a 127-104 away win against the Indiana Pacers.

Doncic was given his 16th technical of the season in Sunday's surprise loss to the Hornets, which would have resulted in a one-game suspension if the league did not overturn it.

But it did, and Doncic went on to lead the Mavericks with 25 points (eight-of-17), seven rebounds and six assists, while Kyrie Irving chipped in 16 points (seven-of-11), six assists, three blocks and two steals.

The result leaves Dallas (37-39) a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers (37-38) and Oklahoma City Thunder (37-38) as they battle it out for the last play-in spots.

Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook broke the record for the most triple-doubles in NBA history on Monday.

Westbrook surpassed Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson with his 182nd career triple-double during the Wizards' agonising 125-124 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Former MVP Westbrook collected the necessary rebound to eclipse Robertson in the fourth quarter away to the Hawks in Atlanta.

He finished with 28 points, 21 assists and 13 rebounds against the Hawks.

Westbrook now stands alone atop a list that also includes Magic Johnson (138), Jason Kidd (107), LeBron James (99), Wilt Chamberlain (78) and Larry Bird (59).

With his second assist earlier in the game, Westbrook also joined James, Robertson and Gary Payton as the only players in NBA history with 20,000-plus points and 8,000-plus assists.

Entering Monday's contest, Westbrook has been averaging 22.0 points, a career-high 11.6 rebounds and a career-best 11.5 assists.

Westbrook has also been leading the league in assists per game, total assists (700) and assist rate (48.0).

Russell Westbrook equalled Oscar Robertson's NBA record after posting his 181st career triple-double.

Westbrook moved level with Hall of Famer Robertson thanks to his latest triple-double for the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

Former MVP Westbrook tied Robertson with an assist to star team-mate Bradley Beal in the third quarter of the matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

Westbrook has been averaging 21.8 points, a career-best 11.4 rebounds and career-best 11.4 assists per game in 2020-21 – the fourth season in his career that he has averaged a triple-double.

Entering Saturday's game, Westbrook has been leading the league in assists per game, total assists (685) and assist rate (48.0).

Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson is excited for Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook to break his triple-double record in the NBA.

Westbrook is only three triple-doubles away from surpassing Robertson for the all-time record after posting 29 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 135-134 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Former MVP Westbrook now has 179 career triple-doubles, just two away from matching 12-time All-Star Robertson – who won an NBA championship and MVP during his storied career.

"There's no doubt about it. I hope he gets it," Robertson told The New York Times midweek.

Westbrook has been averaging 21.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game – the fourth season in his career that he has averaged a triple-double.

The 2017 MVP and nine-time All-Star leads the NBA in assists per game and total assists (651) in 2020-21.

Robertson added: "I totally enjoy the way Westbrook plays. He's a dynamic individual. They've moved him around to different teams and I don't know why, because I think he's one of the star guards in basketball.

"I guess they thought that when he went to Washington that he would not be that effective, but, man, he's done a tremendous job."

Westbrook – who has also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets – is yet to win an NBA title, but Robertson said: "I think it's ridiculous that some sportswriters criticise him because he has not won a championship.

"Players don't win championships by themselves. You've got to have good management. You need to get with the right group of players.

"Look at Brooklyn: Who could have done this years ago? How things have changed. It seems now that what's happening in basketball, and I haven't seen it happen in football yet, is players will get together and say, 'Let's go and play for this team so we can win'. Years ago, you wouldn't have thought of doing that."