Nikola Jokic went down with an apparent leg injury on Monday night as the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat wrapped up the first half of their matchup.
As his foot was stepped on by his own teammate, Jokic immediately grabbed at his buckled knee and went crashing to the ground. He was on the floor for a bit, showing signs of being in a notable amount of pain.
Considering there were just seconds left on the clock, Jokic and the Nuggets had the intermission to figure out his status moving forward. It didn’t take long for the Nuggets to make their final decision on the star center’s status. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
David Adelman Speaks on Jokic’s Injury
Following the game, Denver head coach David Adelman addressed reporters to offer the latest on Jokic.
“All I know is that it’s a left knee injury,” said the head coach.
“This is part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt, it’s gut-wrenching. 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.”
David Adelman on Nikola Jokić postgame, says the team will find out more tomorrow and they’re hoping for the best. Pic.twitter.com/qgVMjPvF2H
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) December 30, 2025
Before the game wrapped up, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that Jokic is “likely to get the full medical testing” on Tuesday. Therefore, the Nuggets didn’t anticipate having a detailed update on Jokic’s status. That will leave Nuggets fans anxious heading into the night.
It’s not often that Jokic deals with injury scares. Throughout his career, he’s been one of the healthiest superstars in the league. He failed to play in a total of 70 games just one time in his career, when he played in 69 matchups in 2022-2023.
Last season, Jokic appeared in 70 games throughout the regular season, positing averages of 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game.
This year, he’s been healthy in all 31 games for the Nuggets leading up to Monday’s action against the Heat. Seeing the court for 35 minutes per game, Jokic has been shooting 60 percent from the field, averaging 44 percent from three. He has put up 29.9 points per game, dishing out 11.1 assists, and coming down with 12.4 rebounds.
Soon, the Nuggets will have an official diagnosis, along with a timeline for his recovery. The Nuggets will be back on the court on Wednesday to take on the Toronto Raptors.