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Nikola Jokic suffered a hyperextended left knee on Dec. 29 during the Denver Nuggets' loss to the Miami Heat. His injury would put him out of action for at least four weeks, but his first appearance since the injury has already given fans optimism.
On Wednesday, the Nuggets traveled to Toronto to face the Raptors, where Jokic was seen moving flawlessly in the arena, leaving fans in awe and sparking speculation about his quick recovery.
"Wow. Big Fella moving around quite swimmingly," Vic Lombardi, a broadcaster for Denver's Altitude TV, wrote on X.•
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NBA fans could not keep calm upon seeing Jokic walk with a hyperextended knee, with some fans speculating that he could return as soon as the Nuggets take on rivals the LA Lakers later this month.
@VicLombardi @AltitudeTV I think he could be back in time for the Lakers game. Just saying.
@VicLombardi @AltitudeTV Jokic different damn
@VicLombardi @AltitudeTV He’s gonna be back in 2 weeks. He’s Serbian. Pain doesn’t exist
The Nuggets will be matching up against the Lakers on Jan. 20, a little less than three weeks since he picked up the injury.
On the other hand, other fans believe the hyperextended knee will be manageable for the former three-time NBA MVP.
@VicLombardi @AltitudeTV knee hyperextension can be painful when it happens, but after swelling goes down, you re-establish ROM & it's pretty manageable. also, looks like Joke's wasn't too severe. just need to properly guide and rebuild the tissue next few weeks before returning to full action.
@VicLombardi @AltitudeTV John Elway played his entire career with a bum knee. I think Jokic will be just fine. Gamers game.
@VicLombardi @AltitudeTV it's an hyperextension there's nothing broken just a ton of pain at the moment of injury remember that giannis came back like 1 week after that and set an historically finals mvp run.
Jokic is a big loss for the Nuggets as he has been the engine in the team's offense, averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 11.0 assists per game.
The Nuggets are currently in the third seed in the Western Conference with a 23-10 record.
Jokic is the fourth starter in the Nuggets rotation who has been injured in the past two months, as Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, and Aaron Gordon are also sidelined.
Nuggets legend believes Jokic's injury will be a blessing in disguise
For Nuggets legend Carmelo Anthony, Jokic's injury would allow his supporting cast to show their worth.
"For me, this is not about whether Denver can survive," Anthony said in NBA on NBC. "It's really about what this moment reveals for the other guys, about Denver's identity, about the margins, about their championship pedigree," "What does this reveal for the team? How are we going to approach this without our leading scorer, without our guy who’s our spacer? He's everything on that team. Now, we have to figure out as a team where this puts us because Jokic being out changes the geometry of the whole league."Without Jokic, the offensive pressure is on Jamal Murray, who is the only healthy starter on the team. Murray had 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in their first game without Jokic against the Raptors.
Meanwhile, four other Nuggets players scored in double digits in the game.
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Edited by Rob Andrew Lo
English (US)