The Nuggets are going to have to grind for a little bit longer.<\/p>\n
Nikola Jokic went through a standard pregame routine prior to Denver\u2019s game against the Pistons, including a dunk to end it, but he remained in street clothes at tipoff. Jokic will be reevaluated in roughly a week, according to an ESPN report Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s heading in the right direction. He\u2019s been on the court,\u201d Nuggets coach David Adelman said during his pregame press conference. \u201cI think it\u2019s not just the injury, I think it\u2019s the mental part, too, getting yourself ready to come back after going through that a month ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jokic suffered a bone bruise in his left knee Dec. 29. The initial plan was for him to be reevaluated in four weeks. Tuesday was exactly four weeks since the Nuggets found out the severity of Jokic\u2019s injury. He had a compression sleeve on his left leg during his warmup. Denver\u2019s gone 9-5 without Jokic to maintain the third spot in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll do the best we can to make sure that when he comes back, it\u2019s for the right reason,\u201d Adelman said. \u201cIt\u2019s not like we\u2019re holding off, because we won some games. Believe me, that\u2019s not what we\u2019re doing here.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Jokic misses the entirety of the homestand, which concludes with Sunday\u2019s game against the Thunder, he will be ineligible for Most Valuable Player or All-NBA honors.<\/p>\n
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