The Denver Nuggets added Nikola Jokic to the injury report for the first time this season, listing the three-time MVP as questionable for Monday’s game against the Houston Rockets with a right elbow sprain.
Jokic has played in all eight games for Denver, which improved to 5-3 with Saturday’s 114-102 win over the Indiana Pacers in Mexico City. Now he’s one of six Nuggets listed as questionable on the NBA’s Sunday injury report. That group includes all five players who started against Indiana.
Nikola Jokic’s Elbow Injury Follows an Up-and-Down Shooting Start
Jokic went 7-for-20 from the floor against Indiana, finishing with 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in 36 minutes. Three days earlier, he went 13-for-19 in a win over Toronto and finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. The two performances capture how much his scoring efficiency has swung through Denver’s first eight games.
It started on opening night, when Jokic scored 13 points on 5-for-19 shooting against Oklahoma City. He followed that with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists against New Orleans. Through eight games, he’s averaging 22.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists, according to his CBS Sports game log.
The elbow sprain adds a new question to those shooting swings. Denver’s report gives no date for the injury, so it’s unclear whether the elbow was bothering Jokic during any of those games. Even on the tougher shooting nights, the rest of his game has held up. He had 11 assists against Golden State on Oct. 26 and was two assists shy of a triple-double against Indiana.
Nuggets Injury Report Lists All Five Starters Against Rockets
Denver started Jokic, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson and Aaron Gordon against Indiana. All five are questionable for Monday’s 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff in Houston. DeMar DeRozan is also questionable, while Julian Strawther is the lone Denver player ruled out on Sunday’s report.
- Nikola Jokic: Questionable, right elbow sprain
- Jamal Murray: Questionable, left shin/tibia contusion
- Christian Braun: Questionable, left calf contusion and illness
- Cameron Johnson: Questionable, lower-body injury management
- Aaron Gordon: Questionable, lower-body injury management
- DeMar DeRozan: Questionable, low back spasms
- Julian Strawther: Out, left knee sprain
Denver got a useful look at two reserves in Mexico City. Marvin Bagley III scored 10 points in 11 minutes, and Spencer Jones put up 13 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes in his season debut, according to the team’s recap. Bagley offers an option in the middle if Jokic sits, while Jones gives Denver another wing if Johnson or Braun is unavailable.
The tougher issue is who initiates the offense if Jokic and Murray both sit. Jokic has recorded at least eight assists in each of Denver’s past seven games. If Houston is his first missed game, Denver will have to replace the player who creates much of its offense, even on nights when his own shots are falling at a lower rate.
Denver Nuggets Suddenly Add Nikola Jokic to Injury Report Before Rockets Game