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Nuggets Coach Reacts to ‘Gut-Wrenching’ Nikola Jokić Injury

Stephen Douglas

Nikola Jokic suffered a left knee injury against the Heat.
Nikola Jokic suffered a left knee injury against the Heat. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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The Denver Nuggets lost Nikola Jokić to a left knee injury during a game against the Miami Heat on Monday night. Jokić went down grabbing his knee after a teammate stepped on his foot during the final seconds of the first half. The three-time MVP was helped up and limped to the locker room.

The Nuggets ended up losing to the Heat, but all anyone from Denver cared about was the fate of Jokić. After the game, coach David Adelman spoke to the media and confirmed that they didn't know the extent of the injury.

While it hasn't been confirmed that the injury is serious, Adelman did not sound overly optimistic.

"All I know is it's just a left knee injury," said Adelman. "He has to go through the process of what it is. Watching it at halftime, it looked like his feet got tangled up with a teammate. And immediately, he knew something was wrong. This is part of the NBA. Anybody that gets hurt in this game, it's gut-wrenching. Especially somebody as special as he is. We'll find out more tomorrow."

"We'll move on as a team," Adelman continued. "I'm more concerned about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that. It's unfortunate. Hoping for the best, just like we did with Cam and the other starters that we've lost. You just have to stay with it as a team and a group. And honestly, you have to stay with it as a team and a group because that's how you best support your teammates that are out. By honoring them when you play. So we'll move on from there. Like I said, this is part of the NBA. It sucks, but hoping for the best tomorrow.

It's gut-wrenching, he's concerned about him as a person and it sucks. Not what you want to hear after someone gets hurt.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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