Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic was in a mountain of pain on Monday, going down with a scary-looking knee injury during a game against the Miami Heat.
The three-time NBA MVP went down in a heap during the final seconds of the first half of the game, clutching his left knee.
The incident occurred when Jokic, who was defending under a drive under the basket, had his foot stepped on by teammate Spencer Jones. With Jokic’s foot trapped, his left knee appeared to twist slightly and hyperextend.
Jokic left the game and did not return with the Serbian big man set for a MRI on his knee on Tuesday, which revealed the extent of the damage as a hyperextended left knee.
After the game – which the Nuggets lost in a 147-123 blowout – coach David Adelman commented on Jokic’s injury, calling it “gut-wrenching.”
“All I know is that Jokic has a left knee injury, and he needs to go through the process of what it is … immediately, he knew something was wrong,” Adelman said.
“This is part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt, it’s gut-wrenching. Especially somebody as special as he is. We’ll find out more tomorrow and move on as a team. I’m more concerned about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that. It’s unfortunate, and we’re hoping for the best. We have to stay with it to best support our teammates who are out and honour them when they play. It sucks, but hoping for the best.”
Early reports are optimistic
According to reports from Serbian media, Jokic is said to have avoided serious injury.
Meridian Sport initially reported that the outlook is encouraging while Vic Lombardi of Altitude TV also suggested that there is optimism around Jokic’s situation.
The team confirmed on Tuesday that Jokic has been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee, adding that he will be re-evaluated in four weeks. The injury also reportedly will not require surgery and that all of his knee ligaments are intact.
What impact will injury have?
The injury rules out Jokic for Wednesday’s game against the Raptors — which is actually good news for Toronto, which has struggled mightily against the league’s better big men so far this season.
Before going down on Monday night, Jokic had been on track to accomplish something never before done in the NBA: lead the league in both assists and rebounds.
As of Tuesday morning, he leads the league with 12.2 rebounds per game (Karl-Anthony Towns is next at 11.9) and assists per game with 11.0 (Cade Cunningham is second with 9.6). Jokic also ranks fifth in points per game with 29.6.