The Denver Nuggets are anticipating the return of their star player from Serbia soon. Nikola Jokic, who has been absent for the past four games, is expected to rejoin the team`s lineup during their upcoming five-game home series. Denver coach Michael Malone announced this before Denver`s 116-111 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, a game Jokić missed.
Malone stated, `He is going to play in Denver, during this five-game homestand. He will play at some point, we hope during this stretch of home games. He is not playing today, and I don’t anticipate him playing tomorrow. We are trying to get back to Denver and assess his condition.`
Following Sunday`s win, the Nuggets` home schedule includes games against the Bulls on Monday, the Bucks on Wednesday, the Jazz on Friday, and a back-to-back series against the Timberwolves and Spurs next week.
Jokić has been managing a persistent ankle injury for a while, often playing despite it. When questioned about limping in the first quarter of Denver`s 110-103 loss to the Boston Celtics on March 2nd, the three-time MVP remarked, `Yes, I`ve been limping for about 14 years.`
A few games later, when Malone asked Jokić if he wanted to rest his ankle and elbow injuries during what would have been the second game of a back-to-back against the Thunder and the third game in four days, Jokić`s response was a firm, `No.`
While Jokić is determined to play if he feels able, he has been playing extensive minutes recently. In his last eight games, Jokić has averaged almost 40 minutes per game, a demanding workload that resulted in a 4-4 record for the Nuggets during that period. It`s clear the Nuggets heavily rely on Jokić to win, which has become increasingly apparent during his four-game absence. They have a 2-2 record without him, including a 128-109 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, Denver, currently 45-27, also needs Jokić to be rested and healthy, especially with the playoffs approaching. While resting him might cost the Nuggets some wins in the short term, particularly as the Western Conference seeding tightens, it`s a worthwhile trade-off if it means Jokić is closer to full strength for the postseason.
Jokic is averaging a triple-double this season – 29.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game – and is a leading contender for the MVP award alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With Sunday`s victory, the Nuggets are currently the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, one game behind the No. 2 seed Rockets (46-26) and one game ahead of the No. 4 seed Lakers (43-27).
Jasper Hawthorne