Karl-Anthony Towns gives his assessment of matching up with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
The New York Knicks kept their win streak alive on Wednesday, besting the Denver Nuggets 134-127 in double overtime.
Nikola Jokic had a triple-double with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, but struggled from the field, shooting 10-27 and 1-13 from three.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 12 rebounds, but fouled out at 31 minutes.
Asked about his matchup against Jokic, Towns said, "You're going up against one of the best bigs the game has seen. It's really cool to see the development for both of us at this stage in our careers to still be competing against each other at a high level."
Towns vs. Jokic History
Though Jokic is the more decorated of the two stars with three MVP trophies, a Finals MVP, and an NBA Championship, the head-to-head matchup is closer than fans might think.
In the regular season, they are 13-13 against each other after Wednesday's victory for the Knicks.
In the playoffs, Jokic holds a 7-5 win advantage, but that equates to 1-1 in terms of series wins.
Jokic and the Nuggets defeated Towns and the Timberwolves in five games in the first round of the 2023 playoffs en route to their championship.
The following year, the Timberwolves won a hard fought seven game series against the Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals
In 38 total games against each other, Towns is averaging 22.1 career points compared to 22 for Jokic. Jokic holds the edge in rebounds, 10.7 to 10.6, assists, 6.8 to 3.3, and steals, 1.0 to 0.9, but Towns edges Jokic in blocks, 1.1 to 0.7.
Different Paths To Success
Though Jokic and Towns are two of the best big men in the NBA today, they took very different paths to get to where they are.
Towns was drafted first overall by the Timberwolves in the 2015 draft and won the Rookie of the Year award in his first season. He was tabbed for success from the very start of his career, and worked to become one of the best shooting bigs in NBA history and a three-time All-NBA player.
Jokic was infamously drafted during a Taco Bell commercial in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. He didn't join the NBA until the 2015-16 season, finishing third behind Towns and Kristaps Porzingis in Rookie of the Year voting.
While Towns has been a steady presence his entire career, Jokic slowly rose to becoming the best player in the league, finishing no worse than second in MVP voting each of the last five years.