Nikola Jokic is expected to miss the month of January with a hyperextended left knee, the Nuggets said on Tuesday.
The superstar center underwent an MRI exam after leaving Monday’s game at Miami with a knee injury thought to be serious.
Jokic, a three-time MVP who ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring and leads the league in rebounding and assists this season, was able to reach the locker room but walked with a pronounced limp after a second-quarter collision.
“Immediately, he knew something was wrong,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said postgame. “This is part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt, it’s gut-wrenching, especially somebody as special as he is.
“We’ll move on as a team. Obviously, right now, I’m more concerned just about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that.”
Jokic had 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 19 minutes before leaving Monday’s 147-123 loss to the Heat. He is averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per game.
Jokic, 30, has played in all 32 games for the Nuggets this season. The team plays 18 more games before the end of January, starting with Wednesday night’s game at Toronto.
Denver (22-10) is already down multiple starters.
Aaron Gordon hasn’t played since Nov. 21 because of a hamstring injury, but Adelman said it’s possible he could be back late in the ongoing seven-game road trip.
Christian Braun has been out since Nov. 12 with an ankle injury and also could return on the “back end” of the current road trip. The loss to Miami was the second game of the Nuggets’ travels.
And Cam Johnson is likely closer to being aligned with Jokic’s possible return to the court in February. The team said last week he’s likely to be sidelined 4-6 weeks with a bone bruise.
