Update: Nikola Jokic suffered a hyperextended knee against the Miami Heat on Monday night and is expected to miss at least a month. This should be considered great news for Nuggets fans who were worried about the worst-case scenario after the play.
This injury will likely end Jokic’s chances of winning a fourth MVP award due to the NBA’s 65-game minimum rule.
Here’s a statement from the Nuggets:
Nikola Jokic feels like the favorite to win his fourth NBA MVP award after his Christmas Day masterpiece against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets center has been one of the NBA’s most durable superstars since he rose to fame, but on Monday he suffered a scary injury against the Miami Heat after an unfortunate run-in with a teammate.
Nuggets wing Spencer Jones accidentally stepped on Jokic’s leg while defending a drive late in the second quarter, and the Serbian star fell to the ground in pain. Jokic limped into the locker room with the help of the trainers and was ruled out for the rest of the night. See the work here:
Here’s another look at Jokic’s injury and his departure from the court:
Jokic has only played fewer than 70 games once in his career, in the 2022-23 season. He has yet to have a major injury in his career and we hope this is not the first.
Jokic will undergo full medical tests on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury:
Watch Nuggets coach David Adelman’s full postgame comments here:
We will update this story as it develops.