Nikola Jokic suffered a “gut-wrenching” knee injury as the Denver Nuggets crashed to a 147-123 defeat to the Miami Heat.
Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic collapsed to the court in agony after team-mate Spencer Jones stepped on his left foot as he defended a drive from Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr in the final seconds of the first half at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
His left knee appeared to buckle in the incident and the 30-year-old Serbian center did not appear for the second half.
Nuggets coach David Adelman said the team had yet to determine the severity of Jokic’s injury.
"I watched it at half-time and it looked like he got his feet tangled up. He knew immediately something was wrong,” Adelman said.
"This is part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt, it’s gut-wrenching. Especially someone as special as he is. We’ll find out more tomorrow and move on as a team.
"I’m more concerned about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that. It’s unfortunate and we’re hoping for the best ... it sucks, but hoping for the best tomorrow.”
Jokic had scored 21 points to go with eight assists and five rebounds when he left the game with the scores tied at 63-63.
The Nuggets are already dealing with an injury crisis that has sidelined regular starters Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun.
The issue of player injuries has been in the spotlight this season, with players such as San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo spending significant time on the sidelines. Some coaches and players have argued that the relentless grind of the 82-game regular season has contributed to the injury toll.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
