Nuggets Superstar Likely to Play vs. OKC Thunder

In Sunday’s matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic was thought to have injured his elbow, putting his status for the second half of the back-to-back in jeopardy.

Jokic played out Sunday’s bout, playing up to 41 minutes, but there were still questions about whether he’d play in the rematch. Even after Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said the three-time MVP’s elbow was “fine.”

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Jokic will warm up Monday with the intent to play.

"Nikola Jokic is questionable to play tonight," Charania said on NBA on ESPN. "He's dealing with issues not just his left elbow, but also his right elbow. So both elbows have issues going on, he is banged up. But i'm told he will warm up tonight with the intention to try to play, there is optimism he's going to be give it a go here on this back-to-back against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder."

While that’s likely good news overall for the Nuggets, it does cement the elbow as a factor, where it was previously thought of to be nothing. There’s a great chance Jokic suits up, but intending to play and actually playing are certainly different.

The former NBA champion is amid another historical year for the Nuggets, averaging 28.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game in the talented core. He’s an obviously centrifugal piece to Denver’s efforts, and not having him in the lineup would be a distinct advantage for the defensive-minded Thunder.

Monday's matchup, similarly to Sunday's, will likely have implications on the 2024-25 MVP race, too. For now, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads per most oddsmakers as the favorite to take home the hardware. But you can't yet rule out the three-time winniner amidst his own statistically fiery season.

Resting Jokic ahead of the impending Playoffs wouldn’t be a disastrous move for Denver, as they’re now 12 games behind OKC for the No. 1 spot in the West following Sunday’s blowout.

The full injury report for Thunder-Nuggets round 2 can be found here. The two teams will tip off at 7 p.m. CT in OKC tonight.

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