Despite being involved in a congested playoff picture out West, the Denver Nuggets decided to hold Nikola Jokic (and Jamal Murray) out of action for the second consecutive game. It may not have cost them on Monday, as they took a convincing win over the Golden State Warriors despite being shorthanded, but on Wednesday, the Nuggets were on the receiving end of a beatdown from the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-108, knocking them down to the fourth spot in the West standings for the time being.
At this point of the season, there aren’t too many players around the league, if any, who aren’t going through an injury of some kind. But considering Nuggets head coach Michael Malone’s comments after their loss to the Lakers, more rest days could very well be in order for Jokic. According to Vic Lombardi of Altitude Sports, Malone said that Jokic is dealing with shoulder and elbow issues in addition to the ankle issue he had earlier this year.
Jokic is a player who’s exposed to a ton of physical contact all game, and one look at his arms will give everyone a hint as to how much beating the Nuggets star takes on a nightly basis. With the Nuggets playing the long game and looking to enter the playoffs as healthy as possible, they will be erring on the side of caution when it comes to dealing with the reigning MVP’s physical well-being.
The Nuggets’ next game will be coming against the Portland Trail Blazers, and while the Blazers have been playing respectable basketball all season long, there is a chance that Jokic remains out, if only because the Nuggets will be taking on the streaking Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
Nuggets sorely miss Nikola Jokic in bad loss vs. Lakers
The entirety of their Wednesday night contest against the Lakers was a difficult one for the Nuggets. They went down by double digits in the first quarter and never really threatened much to mount a comeback.
With Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray out, the bulk of playmaking duties fell on the shoulders of Russell Westbrook; while the former MVP dished out nine assists, he had his difficulties in scoring the ball efficiently, shooting just 4-14 from the field for 12 points. Aaron Gordon continued his hot streak, scoring 26, but it wasn’t even close to being enough.
Jokic is the major missing piece that makes sense of the entire Nuggets roster, and his services were sorely missed in a game that wasn’t close to being competitive.
The post Nikola Jokic’s list of injuries gets longer according to Nuggets’ Michael Malone appeared first on ClutchPoints.
