Nikola Jokic is out again for the Nuggets, will return soon
Mar 24, 2025, 1:35 PM
Nikola Jokic will miss a fifth straight game for the Denver Nuggets, as the three-time MVP is listed as out with an ankle injury for Monday night’s contest against the Chicago Bulls.
Jokic has been dealing with elbow, shoulder and ankle injuries recently, and the ankle, officially listed as a left ankle impingement, is what’s been troubling him the most as he attempts to return to play.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone recently said that he expects Jokic to return sometime on the upcoming five-game homestand. Denver hosts Milwaukee, Utah, Minnesota and San Antonio in the final long homestand of the season.
Without Jokic, the Nuggets could use another big performance from DeAndre Jordan after he played 38 minutes and had a double-double in Houston on Sunday. The Bulls are the No. 6 ranked rebounding team in the league, and controlling the glass will be a big factor in Monday’s game.
Getting Jokic back for Wednesday’s game against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks is much more important than getting him back for Monday’s game, but his presence will still be missed. The Bulls have won seven of their last nine games, with the last victory being a 31-point blowout in Los Angeles against the healthy Lakers.
For Jokic, he still has to play three more games this season to meet the NBA’s requirements for award eligibility at the end of the season (65 games played). While this doesn’t seem concerning with 10 games left on the schedule after the Bulls game, injuries can get weird, and nothing is for certain until he is back on the court. The Serbian big man has never played fewer than 69 games in a season in his career.
With the Western Conference playoff race still being extremely tight, coupled with the fact that Denver still has a handful of playoff opponents left on the schedule, Jokic and the team need to be cautious with how to go about his return. Finding the balance between when he’s fully ready and when the team desperately needs him is important to make sure he’s ready to make a run in the playoffs.
