The MVP favourite may spend a few weeks sidelined after contact from his own team-mate
Nikola Jokic was forced off with a left knee injury late in the first half of Denver’s 147-123 defeat to the Miami Heat on Monday night, leaving the Nuggets facing anxious hours as they await further clarity on the condition of their star center.
Jokic limped to the locker room at halftime after being hurt with just seconds remaining before the interval and did not return for the second half. The club confirmed he is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
The incident occurred under the basket as Jokic moved to help defend a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. With time about to expire in the second quarter, team-mate Spencer Jones backtracked and inadvertently stepped on Jokic’s left foot, appearing to cause the knee to buckle.
Jokic immediately went down clutching his knee before being helped up and walking off under his own power, though with a noticeable limp. He was examined by medical staff at the arena before departing, with Denver set to travel to Toronto on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Raptors.
“Immediately, he knew something was wrong,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after the game. “Hey, this is part of the NBA. Anybody who gets hurt in this game, it’s kind of gut-wrenching, especially somebody as special as he is.
“We’ll find out more tomorrow. We’ll move on as a team. Obviously, right now, I’m more concerned just about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that.”
Adelman cautioned against drawing conclusions before medical tests are completed, stressing the need for patience as the process unfolds. “It’s just part of this process,” he said.
“You don’t get definitive answers right after these things happen. I know he’s an extremely special player that people want updates on right away; makes total sense to me. But we’ll go through the process properly, for him and for our team.”
Denver have already been navigating a difficult stretch with injuries, entering Monday’s game without three players who would normally be expected to start: Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson.
Jokic has been central to keeping the Nuggets competitive through those absences, a point acknowledged by Miami coach Erik Spoelstra before tip-off. “The things that he’s doing this year,” Spoelstra said, “are really remarkable.”
Jokic had 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the opening half before the injury. Any extended absence would represent a significant setback for Denver, particularly in a tightly contested Western Conference, with even a month on the sidelines equating to roughly 16 games missed.
Adelman admitted the uncertainty was difficult to process in the immediate aftermath. “Tonight my mind will wander,” he said. “And it’ll wonder about what we have to do going forward if he is out for a while or for a long time.”
A three-time MVP, Jokic had been firmly in the early conversation for the award again this season, entering Monday averaging 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists and tracking toward a second straight triple-double campaign.
Team-mate Jamal Murray underlined just how integral he is to the Nuggets. “He’s not just a big part of what we do, but almost everything that we do,” Murray said. “We just want to see him healthy, and everybody in here is ready to step up.”
Jokic’s durability has been one of his defining traits. Over the past five seasons he has missed just 36 games, with Denver going 13-23 in those contests, and he had played in all 32 of the Nuggets’ games this season prior to Monday night.