Nikola Jokic’s injury popped up late, Malone unsure of status
Jan 15, 2025, 9:40 PM
DENVER—The Denver Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic on Wednesday night due to an elbow injury he seemingly suffered just before tip-off.
“It’s just something that popped up last minute,” head coach Michael Malone said.
Jokic had been on the injury report Tuesday for an illness but played during the team’s win in Dallas thanks to 45 points from Jamal Murray. The three-time MVP just came back over the weekend after missing two games last week due to a sickness. Jokic tallied yet another triple-double in that game against the Mavs. But Jokic was not on the injury report before Wednesday’s game. He warmed up before during his normal time with a sleeve on his right arm, which is unusual for the three-time MVP. He also cut his standard workout short.
“I haven’t talked to a training staff yet, so have a conversation with Steve Short and kind of see, see where we’re at with that,” Malone said of what he knew about Jokic after Wednesday’s game.
As soon as Jokic was announced as out, the air was sucked out of Ball Arena on—quelling the anticipated matchup between the West’s No. 2 seed Houston Rockets (27-12) and the No. 4 seed Nuggets (24-16,) who had each won four games in-a-row The Rockets lifted off early and the game was pretty much over midway through the second quarter. The Rockets finished as 128-108 winners. It was the Nuggets’ eighth home loss of the season in just its 40th game, equalling how many the team had all of last year and one more than they had during their title campaign.
Jokic is averaging 30.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 55.5% from the field and 47.4% from deep. Through 34 games played in his season, he’s chasing yet another MVP while the Nuggets chase down home-court advantage in the West.
Malone has very few details on Jokic’s elbow injury—he says it did pop up last minute. Earlier he called tonight as a whole “disappointing.” pic.twitter.com/mhhwVfV1Fi
— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) January 16, 2025
As for Wednesday’s game, Christian Braun, who only missed one shot, and Jamal Murray each scored 22 points against the Rockets. Houston’s Jalen Green cooked for 34 points as the visitors took advantage of 20 Nuggets turnovers for 34 points.
“We had no heads up, it just happened and that’s going to happen at times,” Malone said of Jokic’s late absence.
The Nuggets head to Florida this weekend with games against the Miami Heat on Friday and Orlando Magic on Sunday. They return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on national TV next Tuesday.
