Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic has been ruled out for Tuesday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, marking his third consecutive absence due to personal reasons.
The 7-foot, three-time MVP leads the Nuggets in points (29.7), rebounds (13.7), and assists (11.7). Denver has dropped their last two games—against New Orleans on Friday and Memphis on Sunday—while Jokic was sidelined.
The Nuggets are playing their second game in Memphis before heading back to Denver.
Coach Michael Malone was uncertain about Nikola Jokic’s availability for Friday’s home game against Dallas.
“I have no idea about Friday,” Malone said in his pregame comments on Tuesday. “Obviously, there’s no news out of Denver. So we will revisit that when we get home.”
The Nuggets have faced challenges during Jokic’s absence, struggling to find their rhythm without their star player.
In Sunday’s loss, the Grizzlies outrebounded the Nuggets, grabbing 10 offensive boards. Denver also committed 15 turnovers and shot just 41.7%. Along with Jokic, the Nuggets were also without forward Aaron Gordon, another crucial contributor to their offense.
“We shouldn’t play any differently,” Coach Malone said about adjusting to Jokic’s absence. “Obviously, you don’t have a three-time MVP, but we have to play harder. That should be the case with or without Nikola. I think we need to play more physical.”
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