Denver Nuggets Hope Nikola Jokić Is Back By All-Star Break At Worst
The Denver Nuggets hope superstar center Nikola Jokić is back by the All-Star break at worst, according to NBA insider Tony Jones of The Athletic.
Jokić suffered a left knee injury on December 29 against the Miami Heat.
“The good news is the Nuggets are optimistic about Jokić’s recovery,” Jones wrote. “According to team sources, the hope is that Jokić is back and playing by, at worst, the All-Star break. On Sunday night in Brooklyn, Jokić was in Denver’s locker room in good spirits. While he hasn’t returned to the court yet, he’s well underway in his rehabilitation and has been able to be aggressive with it.”
Jokić is averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per game on the season. The three-time MVP is shooting 60.5% from the field, 43.5% from beyond the arc and 85.3% from the free-throw line.
A future Hall of Famer, Jokić has 28 double-doubles and 16 triple-doubles for the Nuggets, who are 24-12. The big man is arguably the top player in the NBA.
“We’re in survival mode,” Nuggets head coach David Adelman said. “I think winning in Toronto was huge for us. But I think the formula is to play hard and to play with great intention. We have to get games into the fourth quarter, and after that, it’s a crapshoot in this league. We have to get ourselves in position where the ball bounces our way. We have to play hard enough and long enough to where we can scratch out wins. Our goal is to wake up in February, and to be in striking distance.”
The Nuggets are in fourth place in the rugged Western Conference standings. They beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday (1/5) despite playing without Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Christian Braun and Jonas Valančiūnas.
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