OKLAHOMA CITY — Nikola Jokic was ruled out due to lower back pain Wednesday with the Nuggets visiting the Thunder for a one-game road trip.
“I wouldn’t say (it’s) anything that I think is gonna be a long-term concern,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “… That back pain was not improving, wasn’t getting any better, so it was just determined by medical staff to try to get that back right, rehab and treatment.”
It’s the second game Jokic has missed this season and the first since Nov. 27, 2023. That absence was similarly a one-game excursion surrounded by home games. Without Jokic, Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets pulled off a memorable upset of the Clippers in Los Angeles.
Denver’s trip to Oklahoma City concludes a 10-game January stretch with nine opponents in the playoff picture. It’s also the last of four regular-season matchups with the Thunder. Oklahoma City has taken two of the first three, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s last-second shot over Peyton Watson at Ball Arena serving as the difference in the season series.
The Nuggets (33-15) enter Wednesday’s showdown half a game ahead of the Thunder for second place in the Western Conference standings.
Jokic averaged 23.7 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists this season against a Thunder team bolstered by Rookie of the Year candidate Chet Holmgren. “I think he can be much better than that,” Jokic said in December, not wanting to limit Holmgren’s ceiling to a rookie award.
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