Nuggets May Have Caught Big Break With Nikola Jokic Injury

The Denver Nuggets may have avoided a drastic injury to Nikola Jokic after he left their latest game against the Miami Heat with an apparent knee issue.

Per BasketNews, Jokic did not suffer a major injury during the Nuggets' matchup vs. the Heat, with the belief being he's instead dealing with a left knee hyperextension.

According to Serbian media, Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has avoided a serious injury 🙏

More details: https://t.co/9zHQG3BAgD pic.twitter.com/QYz1QeouJQ
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) December 30, 2025

It might just be best-case scenario for Jokic and the Nuggets considering how the injury appeared on first glance.

Jokic was hit with the knee injury at the end of the second quarter between the Nuggets and the Heat after bumping into teammate Spencer Jones, and was down for a few moments clutching his knee before he and trainers would head to the locker room.

Jokic would not return to the action in Miami, as the Nuggets would fall to their second-straight loss, 123-147.

Nikola Jokic Reportedly Avoids Serious Injury

Reports have yet to surface of exactly what the MRI results hold for Jokic's injury, so there's still some added clarity to be had before getting official word on just what the injury might mean moving forward.

But, if the injury really is just a hyperextension, the recovery timeline from that is drastically different than what something more serious would be. More than likely, he'll be missing some time, but it certainly wouldn't be season-ending.

Dec 29, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) drives to the basket against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Jokic has been putting together one of his best campaigns yet in the first two months of this season. He's averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 11.0 assists in 32 games, shooting an astounding 60.5% from the field and 43.5% from three.

If he's out for any length of time though, that'll leave the Nuggets without some serious firepower; not just being without the services of Jokic, but also three other starters in Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cameron Johnson, who are all currently missing time with their respective injuries.

That, in turn, will put some big responsibilities on the plate of Jamal Murray while the Nuggets are extremely shorthanded, and also add more reps for Jonas Valanciunas, who's likely to be Denver's starting five for any stint that Jokic is sidelined.

Again, we still await the final word from the Nuggets and their medical staff to determine the exact extent of the injury. However, initial signs seem to suggest more good news than bad.

Nikola Jokic Reportedly Avoids Serious Injury

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