Log in
My Account
Subscribe 99¢ for 3 months
Newsletter
Finger pushing
weather icon 32°F
Weather from WeatherAPI

Daily Weather Report
Powered By:

Login
My Account
Subscribe
Newsletter

Archive Information

Carrier Portal

Search

Buy Our Photos

Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman discusses Nikola Jokic’s timeline for return

By January 27, 2026 | updated 3 hours ago

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) stands on the sidelines toward the end of the fourth quarter of a game at Ball Arena on Jan. 20. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)

The Nuggets are going to have to grind for a little bit longer.

Nikola Jokic went through a standard pregame routine prior to Denver’s 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.

“He’s heading in the right direction. He’s been on the court,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said during his pregame press conference. “I think it’s not just the injury, I think it’s the mental part, too, getting yourself ready to come back after going through that a month ago.”

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’s injury. He had a compression sleeve on his left leg during his warmup. Denver’s gone 9-5 without Jokic to maintain the third spot in the Western Conference.

“We’ll do the best we can to make sure that when he comes back, it’s for the right reason,” Adelman said. “It’s not like we’re holding off, because we won some games. Believe me, that’s not what we’re doing here.”

If Jokic misses the entirety of the homestand, which concludes with Sunday’s game against the Thunder, he will be ineligible for Most Valuable Player or All-NBA honors.

Vinny Benedetto

Reporter

PREV

PREVIOUS

Broncos signal aggressive approach to NFL free agency: ‘People want to come to Denver’

ENGLEWOOD — The Broncos have signaled an aggressive approach to free agency with money to spend. “People want to come to Denver,” first-team All-Pro left tackle Garett Bolles said following locker cleanout day at Broncos Park. “I’ll be shocked to see how many free agents want to come here.” The NFL is taking notice after […]
Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests