Is Nikola Jokic playing tonight against LA Clippers? Latest injury update from Denver Nuggets (Oct. 17)
The Denver Nuggets are gearing up to defend their title and all eyes are once again on Nikola Jokic to see if he can climb a step higher among the NBA greats by winning another championship. His team has two more preseason games left before the regular season begins and the Nuggets will face the LA Clippers in both matches.
In all three preseason games of the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic has impressed. It is unlikely for a team's best player to appear in all of their tuneup matches as most would try to save their energy and avoid injury, with the season starting in a few days.
Nuggets' most recent matchup was against the Chicago Bulls and they won 116-102. The Serbian center was able to play for 23 minutes and chipped in with 15 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
In the three preseason games, the Nuggets won twice and lost once (in their first encounter on October 12) to the Chicago Bulls.
With the regular season around the corner and the interval between the upcoming match and their previous one, don't be surprised if the Denver Nuggets rest Jokic for the first time this pre-season.
Nikola Jokic reacts to viral videos during the off-season
After winning the 2023 NBA championship, Nikola Jokic decided to take the summer off and enjoy himself. He even skipped the 2023 FIBA World Cup as the Serbian team fell short of winning the tournament, finishing second behind Germany.
As Jokic enjoyed his summer, his videos of partying and horse racing were the subject of NBA headlines. While some people cheered on seeing the former league MVP have a great time, Jokic was not happy that those videos were leaked.
"People are bored. Same as [me], they live a boring life so they want to record people a little bit more. You're not supposed to see [all] that," said Jokic in a report by Sports Illustrated.
Nikola Jokic averaged 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks during the 2023 playoffs as his team clinched the much-coveted NBA title. The Denver Nuggets open up their title defense on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 24.