Denver Nuggets three-time MVP Nikola Jokic suffered a knee injury Monday against the Miami Heat and is questionable to return, the team officially announced.
Teammate Spencer Jones incidentally landed on Jokic’s left foot in the lane while defending Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., causing the big man to hyperextend his knee. Jonas Valanciunas began the second half in place of Jokic, who was not out of the team’s locker room to begin the second half.
Here is a video of the injury:
Jokic finished the first half with 21 points, five rebounds and eight assists on 9-of-14 shooting across 19 minutes.
This changes the calculus for both the Heat, who are trying to score their first three-game win streak in over a month, and Denver, one of the powerhouses out West.
Of course, given that Jokic wasn’t immediately ruled out suggests there’s some optimism that the injury isn’t too serious. But hyperextensions are tricky to manage, especially for a 7-footer. The injury looked pretty scary at first, and we obviously wish Jokic a quick recovery, regardless of what the prognosis is.
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