'Basketball is just a hobby for him' | NBA fans go nuts after Nikola Jokic drops near triple-double in 28 minutes against Clippers

Even in an NBA preseason game, Nikola Jokic showed he is already in regular-season form after flirting with a triple-double in just 28 minutes of action between the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Jokic finished with 25 points on 9-15 shooting including 3-6 from deep, 14 rebounds, eight assists and one steal before spending the rest of the game on the bench.

One fan believed Jokic dropping a stat line like that has become too casual for him.

The fan said:

"Basketball is just a hobby for him."

Another fan then poked fan at the Clippers for letting Jokic do what he does best even in preseason play:

Another fan then compared Nikola Jokic to a fellow former NBA MVP, Steph Curry, saying that Curry could have easily been a triple-double machine too if he was the same size as Jokic.

The fan said:

"Only if Steph was 8 inches taller."

Another fan then tweeted:

"The game is too easy for him."

Some more fans hailed the "return" of the NBA's current "king":

However, not everyone was pleased with Jokic's near triple-double. One fan even said that he "did not care" about it because it's just the preseason:

Another fan called Jokic a "fat oversized stat-padding calculator merchant":

One fan even asked why everyone should care about Jokic's near triple-double when the game between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers is still ongoing:

Nikola Jokic engages in battle vs. Bones Hyland

Another fan claimed that Nikola Jokic was "cooked" by Bones Hyland in the preseason tie between the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers:

With the LA Clippers' Big 3 of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook sitting out the preseason game, Bones Hyland made the most out of 24 and a half minutes of playing time.

Hyland, who was part of the Nuggets' opening night team last season but was traded to the Clippers during the trade deadline, also tallied 25 points, going 10-15 from the field, with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals to lead the Clippers.

However, Jokic still had the last laugh as the Nuggets pipped the Clippers 103-90. Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Zeke Nnaji each added 13 markers for the Nuggets.