There were some notable absences at Nuggets’ practice Thursday.

Neither Aaron Gordon nor Nikola Jokic was in the gym with their teammates ahead of Friday’s game against the Mavericks, who will be without star Luka Doncic.

“Aaron is still out and rehabbing,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of his starting power forward who’s nursing a calf strain. “Nikola was not at work today, being with his family.”

Malone said he’s been in contact with Jokic but did not have much of a timeline for his return. The three-time Most Valuable Player has missed Denver’s last three games for personal reasons. He stayed back in Denver, while the Nuggets went 1-2 in New Orleans and Memphis. Jokic is again listed as questionable for Friday’s contest.

“Always touching base, not to be overbearing, but my job as a coach … I care about Natalija and their family,” Malone said, naming Jokic’s wife. “I’m constantly calling and texting and communicating with all of our guys to see how they’re doing and any updates but not to the point where it’s overbearing.”

Malone added: “Communication is always helpful, especially while guys are away from the team and out. Hopefully. we can get Nikola back as soon as possible.”

After missing the start of the season with an ankle sprain, Vlatko Cancar got a chance to help fill the void in Denver’s front court, but that didn’t last long. After going up for a dunk in Tuesday’s game in Memphis, Cancar grabbed his left left immediately after landing and quickly headed back to the locker room. He was initially ruled out with a knee sprain in the same knee he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament last season. Malone said there are a couple of options in front of Cancar, but the team is also still gathering information to determine the severity of the injury.

“I just feel awful for him right now. (We’re) kind of weighing our options to see what we can do with him. He’s listening to everything to make the best decision for him. As I told him, ‘I want you to make the best decision for Vlatko.’ That’s all that I care about right now,” Malone said. “When I think about Vlatko, I think about the line we used to talk about when I was in college — if it wasn’t for bad luck, he’d have no luck. That poor kid. Every time he gets a chance, he plays well. He does his job. He’s a glue guy. I just feel so awful for him.”

Cancar will be out for the foreseeable future. Malone added they hope to have a plan in place in the next week.

Injury report

Denver

Nikola Jokic – Questionable (personal reasons)

Aaron Gordon – Out (right calf strain)

Vlatko Cancar – Out (left knee sprain)

DaRon Holmes II – Out (Right Achilles tendon repair)

Jalen Pickett – Out (G League)

Spencer Jones – Out (G League)

Dallas

Luka Doncic – Out (Right Wrist Sprain)

Dante Exum – Out (Right Wrist Surgery)

Jazian Gortman – Out (G League)

Kessler Edwards – Out (G League)

Brandon Williams – Out (G League)