Nikola Jokić avoided the worst.
The Denver Nuggets superstar was diagnosed with a left knee hyperextension and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, the team announced Tuesday.
The update came the morning after Jokić limped to the locker room late in the first half of Monday night’s 147-123 loss in Miami and did not return.
Jokić’s knee appeared to buckle when teammate Spencer Jones stepped on his left foot in the waning seconds of the second quarter. Jokić then dropped to the court and writhed in pain, holding his left knee.
“We’ve got to focus on what’s in here,” Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray said after the game. “Obviously, he’s not just a big part of what we do but almost everything that we do. We just want to see him healthy, and everybody’s in here ready to step up.
Jokić, a three-time NBA MVP, is averaging a team-high 29.6 points per game, while his 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per game both lead the NBA.
The do-it-all center has started all 32 games for the Nuggets, who, at 22-10, are in third place in the Western Conference.
If he misses more than 17 games, Jokić, 30, would be ineligible to win MVP this season.
In Jokić’s absence, veteran Jonas Valančiūnas becomes Denver’s primary center. Valančiūnas, 33, is averaging 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game off the bench in his first season with the Nuggets.
