Nikola Jokic Exits Nuggets vs. Heat With Concerning Knee Injury

The Denver Nuggets saw their three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic, leave in the second quarter against the Miami Heat with a scary-looking knee injury.

Nikola Jokic is down holding his knee 😳 pic.twitter.com/6kUNzTAopx
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 30, 2025

With just a few seconds left in the second quarter of action against the Heat, Jaime Jaquez Jr. would drive in for a fading shot while defended by Nuggets forward Spencer Jones, incidentally bumping into Jokic, who would then fall to clutch his knee and eventually head to the visiting locker room.

Denver would soon list Jokic as questionable to return with a knee injury heading into the second half.

The exact extent of the injury is unknown beyond simply being a knee injury, but nonetheless, seeing Jokic go down with any injury that forces him to the sidelines is certainly a moment that sounds major some alarms.

Nikola Jokic Leaves vs. Heat With Knee Injury

The Nuggets have already been bitten pretty drastically by the injury bug throughout the course of the regular season. Aaron Gordon has missed significant time with a hamstring strain, Christian Braun has been out for an ankle sprain for close to the same amount of time, and Cam Johnson suffered a knee injury just last week that's left Denver without three of their regular starters in the lineup.

Now, the Big Fella is the latest to get hit with an injury, and while it's a bit early to speculate too deeply, it's certainly concerning.

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

This season, Jokic has been putting together one of his best campaigns through his 11 years in the league. He's averaging 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 11.1 assists on 60.4% shooting from the field, 44.0% shooting from three, and 85.5% from the free throw line.

For any stretch of time that the Nuggets' superstar remains out, it'll be Jonas Valanciunas as the most likely big man to fill the void at the center position–– acquired this offseason in a trade from the Sacramento Kings, and now becomes a bit more valuable for any stretch of time that Jokic is forced out.

In 31 appearances, Valanciunas has averaged 12.1 minutes a night, posting 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Nikola Jokic Leaves vs. Heat With Knee Injury

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