The NBA injury bug has claimed another yet another victim. Last night, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic came down with a bad knee, something fans had hoped wasn’t a serious issue. Several hours later, the medical reports are out, and while the news isn’t what the Nuggets fans would have wanted, it is as good as they could have hoped for
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Monday was just another typical gameday for the Nuggets. They were preparing for the second game of their seven-game East Coast road trip against the Miami Heat. Miami was giving them a run for their money through the first half. The Nuggets didn’t look particularly worried though. That would change soon.
With under 10 seconds remaining in the first half, the Denver looked to get one more stop. Jokic stood in the paint, while Spencer Jones was guarding Jaime Jacquez. A slight bump from the Heat forward led Jones to kick back into Jokic’s leg and he 6-foot-11 big man tumbled down immediately, grabbing his left knee.
Jokic would not return for the second half, leading to concerns that the injury could possibly be a torn ACL, which would be disastrous for the Nuggets’ season. Thankfully, Nuggets fans can take a sigh of relief. ESPN insider Shams Charania revealed Jokic has avoided serious injury, but will miss at least about four weeks with a hyperextended knee.
Just in: Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic has been diagnosed with a hyperextension in his left knee and will miss at least four weeks. An immense sigh of relief as tests show the three-time NBA MVP’s knee ligaments are intact. pic.twitter.com/u8qLE0GDd3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 30, 2025
At least a month without arguably the best player in the NBA will be a tough road to walk for the Nuggets. It doesn’t help that Denver don’t have much rest in January since they are one of the teams playing almost every other night. The most consecutive days of rest they have is two.
An exact month from Jokic’s injury would feature 17 games without the three-time MVP. That is the most games a player can miss before they become ineligible for end-of-season awards. Luckily, Jokic has appeared in all of Denver’s games this season. However, if he misses 18 games, he will no longer be in MVP contention.
This development, however, opens the door for another MVP candidate and an All-NBA slot. There is still a slight chance Jokic can still make it but the Nuggets won’t be in the business of rushing him back to risk potentially a bigger injury.
