Nikola Jokić, the 30-year-old center from Denver Nuggets, NBA champion in 2023 and three times NBA MVP, has suffered a knee injury during a 147-123 loss against Miami Heat. But when he accidentaly clashed with teammate Spencer Jones, he collapsed and had to retire from the court limping shortly before halftime, interrupting another brilliant performance (he had scored 21 points and eight assists up to that point.
In fact, the second quarter was the only one where Denver outperformed Miami, although they always trailled behind. But the defeat in Miami is the second in a row for the Nuggets (22-10), and they could now miss their best player (who averages in the triple-double numbers, 29.9, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists this season) for an extended period of time.
It is unknown how serious was the injury, depending on the result of the MRI he will have on Tuesday. David Adelman, Nuggets head coach, said that "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", adding that they will move on as a team: "Obviously, right now, I'm more concerned just about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that."