The Denver Nuggets begin at least one month without star center Nikola Jokic because of a hyperextended left knee when they visit the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
Jokic hobbled to the dressing room in the final seconds of the first half of Monday’s 147-123 loss at the Miami Heat and did not return.
Imaging on Tuesday verified the hyperextension and the team said Jokic will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
No ligament damage was detected.
“It looked like his feet got tangled up with a teammate (Spencer Jones) and obviously, immediately, he knew something was wrong,” Denver coach David Adelman said.
It was telling that Jokic, a three-time MVP, finished as the Nuggets’ leading scorer with 21 points as they lost two straight for the first time this season to open a seven-game road trip.
“Nikola isn’t just a big part of what we do,” said Jamal Murray, who had 20 points and a team-high 11 assists for Denver on Monday. “He’s almost everything we do.”
The Raptors are coming off two exhilarating wins to start their five-game homestand. After defeating the Golden State Warriors in overtime on Sunday, they came back to defeat the Orlando Magic 107-106 on Monday after trailing by 21 points in the first half.
The Magic rallied from a 17-point disadvantage on Saturday to defeat the visiting Nuggets, 127-126.
The Raptors showed their depth against the Magic with reserves playing important roles. Jamal Shead led Toronto scorers with a career-best 19 points. Gradey Dick scored 15 points in 15 minutes while Ja’Kobe Walter had 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Collin Murray-Boyles scored only four points, but had 12 boards and two blocked shots and his defense was vital down the stretch. He had missed the two previous games because of illness.
Toronto had a 50-19 advantage in bench scoring.
“Our second unit guys coming off the bench — Collin, Jamal, Gradey, Ja’Kobe — they did an outstanding job,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “It was great to see their energy, force, how they played, how they competed. We were down 20 and it was about, really, character. Are we going to try to come back after losing by 20?
“They want to give all they have. We gave all we have (Monday). We shot 23% from the 3-point line, 39% from the field and we found a way to win.”
The Raptors played without RJ Barrett, who was rested after returning to action Sunday following a 15-game absence with a sprained right knee.
Toronto center Jakob Poeltl will be out for at least one more week with a strained lower back.
The Raptors added some size on Monday by signing center Mo Bamba, who had one blocked shot in 4:18 off the bench.
“He’s a seven-footer who can block shots,” Rajakovic said. “He has a good wing span with really good timing around the rim to change and block shots. We need him to be a roller for us. We need him to bring a lot of intensity on the defensive end to rebound. All those traits are very valuable for us at this point, especially while (Poeltl) is out.”
Denver was dealing with injuries before Jokic was hurt with Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Christian Braun (ankle), and Cam Johnson (knee) out.
“We’ll move forward with the guys we have that are healthy,” Adelman said. “This group has enough to win some games, bottom line.”
