In the closing seconds of the second quarter, Nikola Jokic went down in what was a very scary situation.
On a defensive play, Spencer Jones lost his balance defending in isolation with Jokic directly behind him. Jones stepped back into Jokic, who was forced to take a false step and saw his left knee hyper extend in an unfortunate way.
Nikola Jokic went down with an apparent leg injury vs. the Heat. pic.twitter.com/4kPf9HAOt8
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 30, 2025
Jokic went down in a heap holding his left knee. He limped off the court to end the half and didn’t return in the second half.
The Nuggets are officially designating it a “left knee injury” and questionable to return.
Injury Update: Nikola Jokić is questionable to return with a Left Knee Injury
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 30, 2025
If Jokic is out for the short term, it will obviously be a difficult loss, perhaps the most difficult loss any team could possibly sustain. Jonas Valanciunas would step in as the primary center, and the Nuggets would have to piece together some backup center play where they can.
If Jokic is out for a longer period of time, it’s season-altering. Jokic is in the middle of one of the greatest seasons in NBA history, and not having him is the equivalent of Michael Jordan or LeBron James missing extended time.
Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that. Hopefully, Jokic is back in short order and making more crazy plays. Time will tell.