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

Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic recently returned to the lineup after a 16-game absence due to a knee injury he suffered against the Miami Heat in late December. Jokic has played in Denver's last three games, including a close loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

Now, the Nuggets play their first back-to-back since Jokic returned to the lineup, and his status is in question with the team yet to release an injury report for Wednesday's matchup with the New York Knicks.

Denver is already short-handed with Cameron Johnson and Aaron Gordon banged up, and it could sit a few players -- like Jokic -- on the second night of a back-to-back. Jokic has seen his minutes steadily increase since he returned from his injury, playing over 32 minutes in Tuesday's loss.

The betting odds for this game at DraftKings signal that Denver may be without a player or two, as the Nuggets went from 3.5-point road underdogs against Detroit on Tuesday to 6.5-point road underdogs against the Knicks tonight. New York is also playing a back-to-back tonight, and it is actually behind Detroit in the Eastern Conference standings.

Jokic did not miss a game before suffering his knee injury on Dec. 29, so there is a chance he pushes to play on Wednesday. The star big man can only miss one more game this season and remain eligible for end-of-season awards like the league's MVP.

Denver also needs every win it can get at the moment, as a loss on Wednesday and a Houston Rockets win over Boston would push the Nuggets back to the No. 4 seed in the conference.

Jokic is averaging 23.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game since returning to the lineup, shooting 59.0 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from 3. For the entire 2025-26 season, he's averaging a triple-double to lead Denver.

This story will be updated once the Nuggets release an injury report for Wednesday night's matchup.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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