There are concerns for Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic after the MVP favorite suffered a non-contact knee injury.
Jokic, just before halftime of Denver’s loss at Miami on Tuesday (AEDT), fell clutching his left knee after it appeared to extend when teammate Spencer Jones accidentally stepped on his foot.
The three-time MVP grimaced in pain on the court for a time, before getting up and limping to the locker room unassisted in extremely worrying scenes for the Nuggets.
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Jokic missed the remainder of the game, with Denver unable to provide an immediate update on the severity of the injury.
Shams Charania of ESPN reports that Jokic will undergo an MRI on Tuesday (US time).
The depleted Nuggets have already been crushed by injuries this season, with three of their starters, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cam Johnson, currently out.
Still, Denver has managed to stay alive, overall, thanks to Jokic, and currently sits in third place in the West at 22-10 and is the second favorite for the NBA title behind Oklahoma City.
But a serious setback for Jokic, 30, would be a devastating blow to the Nuggets’ championship hopes and the season as a whole.
Denver coach David Adelman said the team will learn more over the next 24 hours.
“All I know is it’s just a left knee injury, he’s got to go through the whole process,” Adelman said after the game.
“Obviously, he knew immediately something was wrong. That’s part of the NBA, anyone who gets hurt in this game, it’s a little heartbreaking, especially someone as special as him.
“We’ll know more tomorrow and move forward as a team. Obviously, right now I’m more concerned about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like this.
“It’s a shame to hope for the best, just like we did with Cam (Johnson) and the other starters we lost.”
The timing couldn’t be worse, with Denver now set to lose four starters two games into a seven-game road trip, including its seventh game in 10 days.
They play back-to-back in Toronto on Thursday (AEDT).
