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The Denver Nuggets are facing significant injury adversity with Nikola Jokic for the first time.
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The superstar center has been healthy for much of the season and is expected to miss at least a month. Jokic went down with a hyperextended knee against the Miami Heat on Monday night.
While the MRI results and initial injury timeline were positive for Jokic and the Nuggets, the star center’s impressive MVP season took a major hit.
The odds are no longer in Jokic’s favor
Jokic was favored over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander heading into Monday’s game. This is no longer the case.
According to FanDuel, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the way with a -425 grade. Not only did Jokic fall below second place, he was completely ruled out as his 65-game floor was threatened.
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More Nuggets news: How long will Nikola Jokic be out? Knee injury timeline, return date, latest updates on Nuggets stars
Joining SGA are Luka Doncic (+430), Cade Cunningham (+5000), Jalen Brunson (+7500), Victor Wembanyama (+7500) and Tyrese Maxey (+25000).
This season, Jokic has played in 32 games. He shot 60% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc, averaging 29.6 points per game.
In addition to scoring, the star center averaged a triple-double, 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per game.
While Jokic’s hopes of a fourth MVP finish are fading, he has to feel pretty good about the fact that he avoided a late-season setback. The Nuggets will face a tough hurdle moving forward as they deal with several key absences outside of their star center, but they expect Jokic to return at some point before the end of the season.
