Nikola Jokic on Monday suffered a “gut-wrenching” knee injury as the Denver Nuggets crashed to a heavy 147-123 defeat against the Miami Heat.
Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic exited in the final seconds of the first half of Denver’s loss in Miami after an accidental collision with teammate Spencer Jones.
The 30-year-old Serbian superstar collapsed to the court in agony after his left leg appeared to buckle after Jones stepped on his foot while attempting to defend a drive.
Photo: AFP
Jokic, who had scored 21 points, did not reappear for the second half and Miami capitalized to outscore the Nuggets 84-60 after the break to cruise to victory.
Nuggets coach David Adelman said the team had yet to determine the severity of Jokic’s injury. The center was to undergo an MRI scan yesterday.
“All I know is that Jokic has a left-knee injury and he needs to go through the process. I watched it at halftime and it looked like he got his feet tangled up. He knew immediately something was wrong,” Adelman said. “This is part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt, it’s gut-wrenching. Especially someone as special as he is. We’ll find out more tomorrow and move on as a team.”
“I’m more concerned about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like that. It’s unfortunate and we’re hoping for the best,” he said.
The Nuggets are already dealing with an injury crisis that has left them deprived of regular starters Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun.
The issue of player injuries in the NBA has been in the spotlight this season, with players such as San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo spending significant time on the sidelines.
Some coaches and players have argued that the relentless grind of the NBA’s 82-game regular season has contributed to the injury toll, although NBA commissioner Adam Silver earlier this month said that there was no statistical basis indicating scheduling was to blame.
In other games on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder romped to a 140-129 win over the Atlanta Hawks to extend their lead at the top of the Western Conference.
The reigning NBA champions recovered from an early 10-point deficit in the second quarter thanks to 39 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Chet Holmgren added 24 points and Jalen Williams 20 points on a night when six Thunder players finished in double figures.
Oklahoma City improved to 28-5 with the victory and lead the West by 4.5 games from the second-placed San Antonio Spurs, who suffered their second straight defeat in a 113-101 home reverse to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
French prodigy Wembanyama led the Spurs scoring with 26 points, but San Antonio were left frustrated after Cleveland poured in 37 fourth-quarter points to clinch victory.
Jarrett Allen led the Cleveland scorers with 27 points.
Elsewhere, Stephen Curry scored 27 points and Jimmy Butler added 21 as the Warriors overcame the Nets 120-107, the Bucks swatted aside the Hornets 123-113, the Raptors edged the Magic 107-106, the Knicks sank the Pelicans 130-125, the Suns eclipsed the Wizards 115-101, the Rockets downed the Pacers 126-119, the Timberwolves thrashed the Bulls 136-101 and the Trail Blazers mastered the Mavericks 125-122.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Backup quarterback Luke Weaver on Wednesday night threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, as the University of Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over the University of California, Berkeley in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl. Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous play. With the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) in range for a tying field goal, coach Timmy Chang took a shot at the end zone, and Cenacle got between two defensive backs and made the contested catch. “How amazing is that?” Chang said. “It’s a program that is built
Hosts Morocco on Friday were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations, ending their world record run of wins and leaving them still to make sure of progress to the next stage. Midfielder Brahim Diaz tucked away a penalty in stoppage-time at the end of the first half, but Mali equalized from the spot midway through the second half through Lassine Sinayoko. Both penalties were awarded after video reviews in a tempestuous clash at the end of a busy day of action at the tournament. Morocco were atop the Group A standings with four points, while Zambia,
An astounding 20 wickets fell on a frantic first day of the fourth Ashes Test yesterday, with Australia all out for 152 before storming back to dismiss England for 110 and leave the clash on a knife-edge. England skipper Ben Stokes won a key toss on a green track and his quicks feasted after sending in the hosts under overcast skies in front of 94,199 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was the biggest cricket crowd ever at the cavernous arena, exceeding the 93,013 who watched the 2015 World Cup final, and they witnessed the home side collapse with Josh Tongue
STILL IN THE HUNT: Rasmus Hojlund took his goal tally for SSC Napoli to nine as the champions cruised to a win at US Cremonese and stayed two points behind the leaders Inter on Sunday stayed at the Serie A summit after beating Atalanta BC 1-0 to maintain their slender lead over local rivals AC Milan. Lautaro Martinez netted the only goal of the game in Bergamo for Inter, who lead Milan, 3-0 winners against Hellas Verona thanks to Christoper Nkunku’s first Serie A goals, by a single point at the top of the division. The Argentina striker has scored in four consecutive league matches to end what has been a tricky year in positive style. “I ended last season in a lot of pain... I kept going during the Club World Cup and international
RSS