{"id":208794,"date":"2025-12-30T19:28:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T19:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/208794\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T19:28:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T19:28:06","slug":"denver-nuggets-dodge-worst-case-scenario-after-nikola-jokic-knee-injury-nikola-jokic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/208794\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver Nuggets dodge worst-case scenario after Nikola Joki\u0107 knee injury | Nikola Joki\u0107"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nikola Joki\u0107 is only going to miss a few weeks, which is surely cause for the Denver Nuggets<\/a> to take a giant sigh of relief.<\/p>\n

The Nuggets\u2019 superstar center has been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee, the team said Tuesday, adding that the three-time MVP will be re-evaluated in four weeks.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an obvious blow to the already short-handed Nuggets \u2013 but is not a season-ending issue nor one that would require surgical repair. If Joki\u0107 misses a month, that means he would be sidelined for about 16 games but could be playing again before February\u2019s NBA<\/a> All-Star Game.<\/p>\n

The 6ft 11in Joki\u0107 \u2013 considered by many to be the best player in the world right now \u2014 got hurt with about three seconds left in the first half of Denver\u2019s 147-123 loss in Miami on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Joki\u0107 entered Tuesday ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring this season at 29.6 points per game, plus leads the league with averages of 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists per contest. The only other player in NBA history to average at least 12 rebounds and 11 assists over a full season was Oscar Robertson for the Cincinnati Royals in 1961-62.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it\u2019s part of the game,\u201d Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said Monday night after the game \u2013 speaking before the team got the word on the severity of Joki\u0107\u2019s injury. \u201cBut we never want to see it happen. … Next man up. We\u2019ve got to focus on what\u2019s in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denver have five games left on a seven-game road trip, one that resumes Wednesday when the Nuggets visit the Toronto Raptors.<\/p>\n

Joki\u0107 was alone under the basket and appeared to step forward to help Denver\u2019s Spencer Jones defend a drive by Miami\u2019s Jaime Jaquez Jr as time was about to expire in the second quarter. While backtracking, Jones stepped on Joki\u0107\u2019s left foot and it seemed the center\u2019s knee buckled a bit.<\/p>\n

Joki\u0107 collapsed to the court, grabbing at the knee. He was helped to his feet, then made his way to the locker room under his own power but with a pronounced limp.<\/p>\n

Denver has been playing without three would-be starters in Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cam Johnson. Even after dropping four of their last six games the Nuggets are still currently No 3 in the Western Conference at 22-10, with Joki\u0107 having played in all 32 of those games.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s about to change, obviously. Denver are 13-23 over the last five seasons when Joki\u0107 isn\u2019t in the lineup, and any slippage in the coming weeks would be damaging to the Nuggets\u2019 playoff positioning. The Nuggets entered Tuesday only three games ahead of Phoenix, which is currently seventh in the conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just have to stay with it as a team and as a group,\u201d Nuggets coach David Adelman said Monday night. \u201cAnd honestly, you have to stay with it as a team and a group because that\u2019s how you best support your teammates that are out \u2013 by honoring them when you play. So, we\u2019ll move on from there. This is part of the NBA.\u201d<\/p>\n

The injury interrupts what might be Joki\u0107\u2019s best season of his career. Not only is he leading the league in rebounds and assists, but he\u2019s shooting a career-best 43.5% from three-point range and tops the NBA with a true shooting percentage \u2013 a formula that accounts for three-pointers and free throws \u2013 of just over 71%.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a quest for efficiency and consistency, and I think that\u2019s whether he admits it or not, he sees it as a craft,\u201d Adelman said before Monday\u2019s game, a couple of hours before the injury happened. \u201cHe\u2019s trying to look at it as something, \u2018What can I get better over the year at?\u2019 And I think it\u2019s been really impressive to watch him over these years, not be satisfied with it, and attack new journeys.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nikola Joki\u0107 is only going to miss a few weeks, which is surely cause for the Denver Nuggets…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208795,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":{"0":"post-208794","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-new-zealand","9":"tag-newzealand","10":"tag-nz","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}