This is the opposite of what any Denver Nuggets fan wanted to see.
During the closing seconds of the second quarter of the Miami Heat's 147-123 victory over the Nuggets on Monday night, star center Nikola Jokic went down with an apparent knee injury.
During game action Jokic fell to the court and grabbed towards his left knee in obvious discomfort. He eventually hobbled back to Denver’s bench and ultimately back to the locker room.
Jokic was officially listed as questionable to return by the Nuggets, but he never re-entered the game against Miami.
You can see the play where the injury occurred below:
Nikola Jokic went down with an apparent leg injury vs. The Heat. Pic.twitter.com/4kPf9HAOt8
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 30, 2025
Jokic will have an MRI on his knee on Tuesday, according to ESPN. More will be known about the severity of the injury at that point. Obviously the hope is that the injury isn't anything too severe, as that would be a major blow for both the Nuggets and basketball fans in general.
Prior to exiting the contest, Jokic tallied 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes of action. On the season, the three-time MVP is averaging a triple-double – 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists.
After the game against Miami, Nuggets head coach David Adelman called the injury "gut-wrenching," but didn't have any additional information.
“This is part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt, it’s gut-wrenching," Adleman said. "Especially somebody as special as he is. We’ll find out more tomorrow, and move on as a team. I’m more concerned about his as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that. It’s unfortunate, and we’re hoping for the best.”