Is Nikola Jokic Playing Today? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Nuggets vs. Grizzlies)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic appears to be making progress to a return to the floor, as he worked out pregame on the court ahead of games against Washington and Milwaukee last week.

Nikola Jokić getting some pregame work in ahead of Nuggets vs Washington. He’s still out with the knee injury but is moving well here pic.twitter.com/CNeL3HbrEz
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) January 22, 2026

Despite that, Jokic remains out for Sunday's matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. Oddsmakers have set the Nuggets as 5.5-point underdogs in this game, as they are also down Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun.

Jokic, who injured his knee in late December against the Miami Heat, is dealing with a bone bruise and has not played this month. This season, he is playing at an MVP level, averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per game while shooting 60.5 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Hopefully, the star center will return to the court soon, but his absence does open up some opportunities for other players to step up.

Here's a look at my favorite Nuggets prop bet for Sunday's Western Conference clash.

Best Nuggets Prop Bet vs. Grizzlies

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Peyton Watson OVER 19.5 Points (-119)

In today’s best NBA props for SI Betting, I shared why I’m backing Peyton Watson against Memphis:

The Denver Nuggets cannot avoid the injury bug, as Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun are all out on Sunday while Jamal Murray is questionable.

That means Peyton Watson is going to have a huge role in this offense, and he’s averaging 23.1 points per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from 3 since Jokic went down.

The former first-round pick is really coming into his own as an important bench piece for Denver, and he should get all the shots he can handle against Memphis on Sunday.

This is a volume play for Watson, who has 20 or more points in nine of the 13 games he’s played in since Jokic was injured.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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