STWF Sports | DENVER | Dec. 30, 2025 — The Denver Nuggets will be without the centerpiece of their championship ambitions for the foreseeable future. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic is expected to miss at least four weeks after suffering a left knee injury during Monday night’s loss to the Miami Heat, a blow that reverberates across both the Nuggets’ locker room and the Western Conference race.
Jokic was in the midst of another dominant performance at the Kaseya Center, posting 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the first half. But with seconds remaining before halftime, the night took a sudden turn. As Jokic stepped toward the basket to help teammate Spencer Jones defend a drive by Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jones backtracked and inadvertently stepped on Jokic’s left foot. The contact caused Jokic’s knee to buckle awkwardly.
The Serbian center immediately collapsed to the floor, clutching his leg before limping to the locker room. Jokic did not return for the second half of Denver’s 147–123 defeat, leaving the Nuggets to finish the night without the player who has driven their offense and identity all season.
Initial concern was high, but clarity arrived a day later. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that an MRI confirmed a hyperextension of Jokic’s left knee, with no ligament damage. The Nuggets later issued a statement Tuesday confirming Jokic will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
“Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic has been diagnosed with a hyperextension in his left knee and will miss at least four weeks,” Charania posted on X, noting that the intact ligaments brought “an immense sigh of relief.”
Relief, however, does not erase the reality of losing one of the league’s most impactful players. Head coach David Adelman described the moment as emotionally jarring, even before the medical results were finalized.
“All I know is it’s just a left knee injury,” Adelman said after the game. “He has to go through the process of what it is. Watching it at halftime, it looked like his feet got tangled up with a teammate, and immediately he knew something was wrong. This is part of the NBA. Anybody that gets hurt in this game, it’s gut-wrenching—especially somebody as special as he is.”
The timing of the injury adds another layer of difficulty. Jokic, who leads the NBA in both rebounds and assists this season, is expected to be sidelined through January, a stretch that features one of Denver’s more demanding segments of the schedule. The Nuggets face upcoming matchups against the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers before a mid-January slate that includes the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Dallas Mavericks.
If Jokic misses the full four-week window, Denver could be without him for as many as 17 games, including contests against the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers before January closes.
The challenge is compounded by Denver’s already-thin margin for error. The Nuggets entered the Miami game missing Cam Johnson, Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon, part of an injury list they have navigated throughout December. Jokic’s brilliance has often papered over those absences, stabilizing lineups and carrying the offense through difficult stretches.
Now, at 22–10 and sitting third in the Western Conference, Denver must find answers without the engine that makes everything run. While the prognosis avoided worst-case scenarios, the next month will test the Nuggets’ depth, adaptability and resilience—qualities that may ultimately shape their championship aspirations once Jokic returns.
