Nikola Jokić exits first half vs Utah Jazz with right knee contusion

Nikola Jokić and Rudy Gobert bumped knees late in the second quarter of the Denver Nuggets matchup against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, and Jokić went down to the ground in considerable pain while holding his right knee.

Naturally, Denver Nuggets fans experienced a certain amount of horror watching the 2020-21 Most Valuable Player collapse to the ground in pain while holding his knee. After watching Jamal Murray do the same thing last year and lose several months to a torn ACL, the horrible images flashed through the minds of every Nuggets fan and viewer.

Fortunately, it appears that the big fella avoided a more serious injury. Mike Singer of the Denver Post was the first to report that Jokić was QUESTIONABLE to return with a right knee contusion.

That sound you just heard was an entire organization, fan base, and NBA family breathing a sigh of relief. The NBA is better with Nikola Jokić part of the proceedings. He’s a joy on and off the court, and he was in the middle of an absolutely excellent game against Gobert and the Jazz.

We will see if he returns, but nobody would blame head coach Michael Malone for playing things cautiously on the second night of a back-to-back.