When Nikola Jokic stepped onto the court for Friday night’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was difficult to avoid looking at the white tape covering the two-time MVP’s right wrist.
As Jokic had his wrist checked by trainers periodically throughout Denver’s disastrous 111-98 loss at Ball Arena, it was clear something was wrong.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone says Jokic is one of the toughest players he’s coached — which is why he was back out on the floor Friday night even as the injury nagged at him.
“His wrist has been giving him a lot of trouble,” Malone said after Denver’s second straight loss. “But as we know, Nikola plays through things that most guys won’t.”
Jokic’s 32-point, 10-rebound performance against Minnesota embodied his grit and relentlessness. Still, it wasn’t enough to prevent Denver from getting beat down by the Timberwolves and dropping to third place in the West.
Now there are eight games left in the regular season and key players are banged up, including point guard Jamal Murray, who missed his fourth straight game Friday while nursing an ankle injury. Denver has a difficult decision to make about whether to continue its pursuit for the top seed or adjust its approach to focus on getting players rested before the postseason.
“I’ll have to think about it,” Malone said. “But I just want to win and get back to playing 40 minutes of Denver Nuggets basketball.”
Even though Jokic reaffirmed postgame he can play through pain, he expressed a bit of concern for his wrist.
“Hopefully, it’s going to be a little bit better, so I don’t feel it every time I shoot,” he said.
Denver is in a dogfight for first place in the West. The Nuggets entered Saturday a half-game behind Timberwolves, who have a 2-1 lead in the season series. At the same time, the second-place Oklahoma City Thunder won the season series against Denver, 3-1, making the climb back to first place a challenge. It doesn’t help that Jokic and Murray are both banged up. Malone said he expects Murray to return before the playoffs but is uncertain as to when.
About 40 minutes before tip-off on Friday night, Murray appeared to be moving well as he took 3-point shots from different areas on the floor. Malone, however, doesn’t think Murray is ready to compete at a high level, as he waits for the star guard to cross certain benchmarks before returning to game action.
Following the loss to Minnesota, Murray approached Malone and apologized for not being on the floor.
“You are not trying to be hurt,” Malone told Murray. “Your health is more important than a win right now.”
If health is indeed the priority, the Nuggets might have to focus more on being ready for the dogfight in the postseason, even if that means resting players down the stretch and possibly sacrificing a shot at first place.
Malone believes the Nuggets can beat any team in the league when healthy. They have a 15-4 record since the All-Star break and are 35-10 when Murray, Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. are together in the starting lineup. But back-to-back losses against the Suns and Timberwolves, two contenders in the West, showed the challenges of playing without Murray.
When the Nuggets returned from the All-Star break, Malone expressed that the top seed in the West was “not a top one or two priority.” Jokic’s perspective on finishing in first place hasn’t changed much. He prefers to avoid dwelling on which teams the Nuggets will have to play in the playoffs.
“I never do that. I think you should go out there and win every game,” Jokic said. “I want us to play good and be healthy. That’s the most important thing.”
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