Jokic out at least 4 weeks, MVP title at risk
Nikola Jokic avoids the worst: knee hyperextension with ligaments intact, but he will be out for at least four weeks
The Denver Nuggets face one of the toughest stretches of their season: Nikola Jokic suffered a hyperextension in his left knee and will miss at least four weeks.
The injury comes at a delicate time for Denver: the team avoided a devastating blow Monday night in Miami, but now finds itself without four of its five starters.
The good news is that preliminary tests show the knee ligaments are intact, avoiding the kind of injury that could have jeopardized the three-time NBA MVP’s entire season.
It’s a hard blow, but not a disaster. Jokic will come back stronger than ever
Nuggets insider
Jokic was having a monumental season, dominating individual stats and leading Denver with record-breaking numbers. For him, however, this pause represents the longest absence in his 11-year career, after seasons in which he had played 69–70+ games each time.
Jokic’s absence is felt not only by the Nuggets but also in terms of personal ambitions: if he misses all of January, he would play only 63 games – two fewer than the 65-game minimum required to qualify for his fourth MVP, a title for which he was considered the favorite at the time of the injury.