Nikola Jokić had 21 points, five rebounds and eight assists in 19 minutes before his injury against Miami. Rich Storry / Getty Images

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić suffered a knee injury in the first half of a road matchup against the Miami Heat. The injury occurred just before halftime, when teammate Spencer Jones stepped on the three-time MVP’s foot and caused the latter’s knee to buckle. Jokić was initially ruled questionable to return before Denver announced he would miss the rest of the game, a team source told The Athletic.

He recorded 19 points, five rebounds and eight assists in 19:21 of first-half action. Both teams were tied at 63 at halftime.

Here’s the injury to Nikola Jokic: pic.twitter.com/wbRMnyjB9r

— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) December 30, 2025

Noted as one of the most dominant players in NBA history, Jokić’s impact on Denver is incomparable. According to NBA.com, entering Monday’s matchup, the Nuggets outscored opponents by 12.6 points per 100 possessions in 1,087 minutes with Jokić on the floor compared to a net rating of minus-4.0 in his 416 minutes on the bench.

This season, he’s been as dominant as ever, entering Monday averaging career-highs in points (29.9) and assists (NBA-high 11.1) while leading the league with 12.4 rebounds per game. He’s on pace to become the first player in league history to shoot at least 60 percent overall and 40 percent on 3-pointers over an entire season.

Many saw him as an MVP front-runner in light of Oklahoma City‘s recent struggles.

On Dec. 18, he became the NBA’s all-time leader in assists among centers, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the mark. Jokić has 180 triple-doubles in his career, one shy of tying Oscar Robertson for the second-most in NBA history. His former teammate, Russell Westbrook, holds the league record with 207 such outings.

The results of his tests will come out on Tuesday.

Denver’s next game is on Wednesday, Dec. 31, when the Nuggets visit the Toronto Raptors.