Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets suffered a horrible loss on Opening Night, but will he be available tonight to make things right?
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The Denver Nuggets are finally back to being healthy. After they played the 2021-22 season without their #2 and #3 options in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr, the fans would be ecstatic to see them back with the 2x MVP Nikola Jokic.
However, their start to the 2022-23 campaign didn’t exactly go according to plan. The Nuggets lost 123-102 to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz, after trading away both their stars, still managed to scrap a win against the 2x MVP, with Collin Sexton leading the charge.
After that brutal bashing in Utah, the Nuggets are now in San Francisco to take on the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. This would be a much-looked-forward matchup for both teams. However, after the first game, the question remains: Will Jokic play tonight?
Is Nikola Jokic playing tonight?
In the 123-102 loss against the Jazz, Nikola Jokic looked like his usual self on offense, but was lacking defensively. He put up 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and had three steals.
However, during the matchup, the back-to-back MVP suffered a finger sprain, which has the team a little concerned. Following the same, he’s been put on the injury report, and is probable against the Dubs.
Nuggets injury report vs. Warriors: Nikola Jokic is probable with a right finger sprain. Jamal Murray is questionable due to left knee injury management.
— Mike Singer (@msinger) October 21, 2022
The chances of Jokic sitting out a game against Stephen Curry over a finger sprain are low. However, his being on the injury report means that we can’t say anything for sure as of yet. Looking at past trends, the Joker has played most of the games where he’s been listed as probable.
Can Jokic win 3 MVPs in a row?
In the 76 years of the NBA, only three players have won the MVP three times in a row. They are Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird. On the other hand, 13 people, including Nikola Jokic, have won back-to-back MVPs.
The path to winning an MVP wouldn’t be easy for the Joker, as he’s set expectations pretty high for himself. A lot of players are returning from injury, and others are looking sharp. At the same time, other younger players are trending upwards. According to the GMs, Luka Doncic is the early MVP favorite.
We will have to wait and see how the players do. For Jokic to win MVP this time, he’d have to lead the Nuggets to a Top-3 seed in this stacked west, and put up brilliant numbers along with it.