Nikola Jokić spent the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's game against Toronto watching from the Denver Nuggets bench. His team was comfortably ahead, the Raptors had completely fallen apart, and there wasn't much reason to bring him back.
He already had 32 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and three steals. He'd made 13 of his 19 shots, Denver had turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 23-point lead, and Jokić had collected the 201st triple-double of his career.
There was also a fairly ridiculous historical achievement hidden in there.
According to the NBA, Wednesday marked the 90th time Jokić has completed a triple-double before the fourth quarter. That's almost 45 percent of his career total, and those 90 performances alone would tie him for seventh on the NBA's all-time triple-double list.
Forget the other 111 triple-doubles for a moment. Jokić has accumulated enough of them in three quarters to match what most of the greatest all-around players in basketball history needed entire games to accomplish.
The Raptors got a pretty convincing demonstration of how he does it.
Toronto was actually the better team through much of the first half. The Raptors shot 59.1 percent from the field, led by as many as 10 points and went into halftime ahead 67-64. RJ Barrett was getting his offense going, Toronto had made nine three-pointers, and Denver was headed toward another frustrating home result.
The Nuggets had already lost two of their first three games at Ball Arena. Their only home victory had required overcoming a 23-point deficit against New Orleans, hardly the sort of start they'd been looking for.
Wednesday looked like it might be another difficult night until Denver emerged from the dressing room.
Jokić opened the third quarter with a steal and a dunk, then found Aaron Gordon for consecutive baskets around the rim. The Nuggets took the lead on Gordon's second layup, and Toronto never recovered.
Denver won the third quarter 41-15. The Raptors made five of 23 shots, committed seven turnovers and watched their three-point halftime advantage become a 23-point deficit in 12 minutes.
The obvious explanation is that Jokić took over. But looking at how Denver actually scored makes the performance more interesting than another collection of points, rebounds and assists.
The Nuggets finished with 76 points in the paint compared with Toronto's 46. That's a 30-point advantage in a game Denver won by 19. Jokić didn't even make a three-pointer, going 13-for-18 on two-point attempts, and his 11 assists helped produce scoring opportunities for teammates who repeatedly found space near the basket.
Gordon was particularly effective, making seven of his nine shots on his way to 17 points. Rookie Bryce Hopkins contributed a career-high 18 points off the bench on just seven field-goal attempts. Six Denver players other than Jokić reached double figures.
Toronto couldn't solve the problem by concentrating on stopping Jokić from scoring. Denver kept finding other ways to attack, and the Raptors couldn't generate enough offense of their own to stay competitive.
It helps explain why Jokić has accumulated so many triple-doubles without playing the final 12 minutes.
He's not somebody who needs to spend the fourth quarter hunting for a tenth rebound or waiting for a teammate to make one more shot. On nights when Denver is moving the ball and finishing opportunities, his numbers tend to accumulate without much apparent effort.
Of course, there are limitations to what the three-quarter statistic tells us. Jokić's 90 early triple-doubles aren't a separate record category from his 201 overall, and completing one before the fourth quarter doesn't automatically make it more impressive than a player recording one over 40 minutes.
It does, however, provide a pretty extraordinary illustration of how quickly he can influence every part of a game.
And Wednesday's performance came with another element that tends to get lost when discussing his offensive brilliance.
Toronto entered halftime shooting almost 60 percent. By the end of the third quarter, the Raptors had been held to 15 points on 21.7 percent shooting. Jokić's three steals tied for the game high, and Denver's improved defensive pressure helped turn an offensive comeback into a blowout.
He finished with a team-best 32 points without making a three, led Denver in rebounds, assists and steals, and didn't need to play another minute after the third quarter.
The Nuggets eventually won 128-109, their largest margin of victory this season.
Triple-doubles are often discussed as evidence that a player can do a little bit of everything. Jokić has reached a point where he can do quite a lot of everything before most players have even finished their night's work.
Ninety times, to be exact.