On Thursday, Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic suffered an ankle sprain after stepping on Chicago Bulls guard Jerian Grant’s foot while driving to the rim. At first glance, Jokic appeared to have suffered a major injury.
But he eventually rose to his feet and knocked down the free throw that was a result of a foul on the play. Jokic then proceeded to walk off the court under his own power but didn’t return to the action.
With the absence of Paul Millsap for the foreseeable future, the Nuggets’ frontcourt depth has taken a significant hit.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, MRI results on the ankle came back negative but Jokic will miss Saturday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers and ensuing games:
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is expected to miss several games with a left ankle sprain, but an MRI on Friday revealed no further damage, league sources tell ESPN.
As the Nuggets get ready to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday evening, both teams are facing the prospect of taking the court without their respective stars.
Kyle Kuzma returned to practice on Friday after being sidelined the past two days due to back spasms, but remains questionable this weekend.
Kuzma leads the Lakers with 16.7 points per game and 37.9 percent shooting from behind the arc. In 21 games for the Nuggets, Jokic has averaged 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists, while shooting 51 percent from the floor.
He leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists per game. Jokic previously rolled his right ankle but remained in the game after a few minutes spent in the locker room. In addition to not having Jokic and Millsap, Wilson Chandler might also be inactive.
He’s missed three of the Nuggets’ past five games with a lower back pain. Like Kuzma, Chandler is considered questionable.
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