12/30/25 10:45:00
Printable Page
12/30 10:44 CST Nuggets star Nikola Jokic hyperextended his left knee and will
be evaluated in 4 weeks
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic hyperextended his left knee and will be evaluated in
4 weeks
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
MIAMI (AP) --- Nikola Jokic is only going to miss a few weeks, which is surely
cause for the Denver Nuggets to take a giant sigh of relief.
The Nuggets' 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.
It's an obvious blow to the already short-handed Nuggets --- but is not a
season-ending issue nor one that would require surgical repair. If Jokic misses
a month, that means he would be sidelined for about 16 games but could be
playing again before February's NBA All-Star Game.
The 6-foot-11 Jokic --- considered by many to be the best player in the world
right now --- got hurt with about three seconds left in the first half of
Denver's 147-123 loss in Miami on Monday night.
Jokic 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.
"Obviously, it's part of the game," Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said Monday
night after the game --- speaking before the team got the word on the severity
of Jokic's injury. "But we never want to see it happen. ... Next man up. We've
got to focus on what's in here."
Denver has five games left on a seven-game road trip, one that resumes
Wednesday when the Nuggets visit the Toronto Raptors.
Jokic was alone under the basket and appeared to step forward to help Denver's
Spencer Jones defend a drive by Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to
expire in the second quarter. While backtracking, Jones stepped on Jokic's left
foot and it seemed the center's knee buckled a bit.
Jokic 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.
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 Jokic having played in all 32 of those games.
That's about to change, obviously. Denver is 13-23 over the last five seasons
when Jokic isn't in the lineup, and any slippage in the coming weeks would be
damaging to the Nuggets' playoff positioning. The Nuggets entered Tuesday only
three games ahead of Phoenix, which is currently seventh in the conference.
"You just have to stay with it as a team and as a group," Nuggets coach David
Adelman said Monday night. "And honestly, you have to stay with it as a team
and a group because that's how you best support your teammates that are out ---
by honoring them when you play. So, we'll move on from there. This is part of
the NBA."
The injury interrupts what might be Jokic's best season of his career. Not only
is he leading the league in rebounds and assists, but he's shooting a
career-best 43.5% from 3-point range and tops the NBA with a true shooting
percentage --- a formula that accounts for 3-pointers and free throws --- of
just over 71%.
"It's like a quest for efficiency and consistency, and I think that's whether
he admits it or not, he sees it as a craft," Adelman said before Monday's game,
a couple of hours before the injury happened. "He's trying to look at it as
something, ?What can I get better over the year at?' And I think it's been
really impressive to watch him over these years, not be satisfied with it, and
attack new journeys."
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
|
