Nikola Jokic made a somewhat surprising return from injury in the Denver Nuggets‘ 122-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena on Friday. Jokic missed 16 games with a left knee injury, so he is still just about eligible to win MVP, but made it clear postgame that he couldn’t care less about the eligibility requirement.
“Not even a little bit,” Jokic said.
Players have to feature in at least 65 games to be eligible for end-of-season awards and honors. So, they can only miss 17 games, which means Jokic can only sit out for one more. Based on what the three-time MVP said here, we shouldn’t expect him to try to play in 65 games. It would make little sense to jeopardize long-term health just to be in contention for awards. His goal is to win another title, as it should be.
As for this game, you had expected Jokic to be a bit rusty against the Clippers, considering he had hyperextended his left knee against the Miami Heat back on Dec. 29, 2025. The seven-time All-Star was out for just over a month, but it sure didn’t seem like it.
Jokic put up 31 points (8-11 FG), 12 rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 25 minutes against the Clippers. The 30-year-old was on a minutes restriction, but still managed to dominate.
There was concern when Jokic went down in pain against the Heat that he might have torn his ACL and would be out for the rest of the season. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray feared it was an ACL, and Jokic was asked whether he had felt the same.
“I didn’t know because I didn’t know what to expect,” Jokic said. “But I think whenever I do preparation during summer, that’s something that I really take pride with… and I really think the one from upstairs is protecting me. He knows that I did everything how it’s supposed to be, and I was just hoping that he saved me. Not save me, but kind of protect me.”
The basketball world sure is glad that it wasn’t anything too serious. It’s a pleasure to watch Jokic in action, and he has been playing the best basketball of his life this season.
Jokic is now averaging 29.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Nuggets in 2025-26. With how well he had been playing, the team was expected to collapse in his absence, but so many of his teammates stepped up.
The Nuggets went 10-6 without Jokic, and no one on the outside saw that coming. He is happy his teammates were able to prove the doubters wrong.
“I’m happy for the guys,” Jokic said. “I’m happy because I think everybody doubted them, and everybody [was like], ‘Jamal cannot do this. Peyton [Watson] is not that kind of player.’… Everybody step up, and everybody show that they can play, and I always say when you play 100%, you give yourself a chance to win a game.”
The Nuggets improved to 33-16 with this win over the Clippers and are third in the West. They are only 5.0 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, who sit atop the standings in the West with a 38-11 record.
It’s unlikely the Nuggets catch the Thunder, but it is possible. You never would have imagined this being the case when Jokic went down. This truly is the best supporting cast he has ever had, and there is a good chance the Nuggets win it all this season.
For now, though, the Nuggets’ focus will be on their next game, which is actually against the Thunder at Ball Arena on Sunday at 9:30 PM ET.
