Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will be out for at least four weeks after tests confirmed a hyperextension of his left knee, the team announced Tuesday.
The three-time NBA Most Valuable Player suffered the injury during Monday night’s game against the Miami Heat. Serbian outlet Meridian Sport first reported the diagnosis, and subsequent imaging showed Jokic’s knee ligaments remain intact, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Although the club plans to reevaluate Jokic in four weeks, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported the 30-year-old could miss six to eight weeks, which would mark the longest absence of his NBA career.
Rotation Hit Hard
Denver was already without three starters—Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Christian Braun (ankle) and Cameron Johnson (knee). With Jokic now sidelined, guard Jamal Murray stands as the lone healthy member of the opening-night lineup.
Head coach David Adelman said over the weekend that Gordon and Braun could return during Denver’s current road trip, which ends January 7. Until then, Murray is expected to start alongside Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas.
Playoff Implications
The Nuggets are 22-10 and sit securely in the Western Conference’s top six, but the sixth-place Minnesota Timberwolves trail by only 1.5 games and the seventh-place Phoenix Suns are three games back.
Award Eligibility in Question
League rules require players to appear in at least 65 games to qualify for end-of-season awards. Denver has 18 contests scheduled before January ends; missing all of them would drop Jokic below the 65-game threshold, jeopardizing his streak of seven straight All-NBA selections and five consecutive top-two MVP finishes.
Production Before Injury
Through 32 games, Jokic is averaging a career-best 29.6 points along with an NBA-leading 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists. He is shooting .605 from the field, .435 from three-point range and .853 at the free-throw line. Denver posts a +12.3 net rating when he plays, compared with –6.3 when he sits.
The Nuggets will monitor Jokic’s recovery over the next month, hoping to avoid an extended absence as the Western Conference playoff race tightens.
Source: Hoops Rumors
