Is Nikola Jokic Playing Tonight Against The Thunder Following His Historic 30-20-20 Game (March 9th)?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s once firm grip on the MVP trophy seems to be slipping right now. Nikola Jokic has made a furious charge as of late, even dropping a historic 30-20-20 stat line a couple of days ago. With the Nuggets set to travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder, tonight’s outcome could go a long way in the final MVP decision.

With Jokic gunning for an awe-inspiring 4th MVP in 5 years, he will want to display his dominance as much as possible in the last 22 games. The Nuggets have taken back the second seed from the Lakers, but OKC is 11 games ahead and has virtually locked in the 1 seed.

Jokic’s best chance at the award will be to get the Nuggets as close to OKC as possible, and a win tonight would be huge for that. Unfortunately, he’s been tagged as probable for the game, with an inflammation in his left ankle being listed as the reason.

There is good news for Nuggets fans, though. He was listed as questionable in their last two games with the same condition and played through it, even dropping a historic triple-double in their win against the Suns.

Injury Report ahead of tomorrow's game against the Thunder:

AVAILABLE: 
Peyton Watson
Zeke Nnaji 
Vlatko Čančar 

PROBABLE: 
Nikola Jokić (Left Ankle Inflammation)
Aaron Gordon (Left Ankle Sprain)

OUT:
DaRon Holmes II (Right Achilles Tendon)
Julian Strawther (Left Knee Sprain)… pic.twitter.com/XRooWQwB3h

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 9, 2025

With or without him, the Nuggets still have their work cut out for them. OKC is playing some of the best basketball in the league and are very deservingly the best team in the West. Their defense is stifling, their offense is free-flowing, and their dual bigs, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, have provided tremendous value for their roles.

SGA is on another stratosphere as far as players go and is averaging nearly 33 points a game this season. The Nuggets have one chance of winning this game tonight, and that is to implement a formula the Timberwolves used a few weeks ago. To beat the Thunder, the Nuggets need to contain SGA and let the other players try and beat them.

With the Nuggets locked in a battle for the 2 seed with the Lakers, they cannot afford to lose any game, especially with the season nearing its end. Let’s see whether Nikola Jokic suits up, and how the Nuggets fare in OKC.