It has been a long week and a half for fans of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, but the grueling, painful wait is finally over. Jokic has missed the past five games with elbow and ankle injuries, but he will finally make his return on Wednesday night in Ball Arena to take on the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jokic last played on March 15th in a last-second home loss to the Wizards. He was a late scratch for the team’s next game and it seemed like a rest night for the Joker, but that clearly wasn’t the case as he hasn’t played since.
But Michael Malone announced that Jokic would make his return at some point during the team’s five-game homestand and it seems that “some point” is now. Jokic was upgraded to doubtful on Wednesday morning, then questionable in the afternoon, then finally cleared to play just minutes before tip-off.
The team struggled (obviously) without the MVP, going 2-3 and looking bad at times. Hopefully, if nothing else, they got some experience playing without Jokic and gained some confidence ahead of the playoffs. But there are no playoffs without Jokic, so it’s great to see him back. With any luck, he’ll hit the ground running and got a well-earned and much-needed break before a long run.
Lillard and Giannis out for Bucks
For the Bucks, their injury report gave them the opposite type of news and that will mar what would have been an epic showdown of multi-time league MVPs. Giannis Anetokoumpo was ruled out with a foot sprain; he has been nursing a variety of ailments but has played in every game since the All-Star break, so this feels like a rest spot for the two-time MVP.
The prognosis is far worse for his superstar teammate as Damian Lillard was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right calf that will sideline him indefinitely. Dame is likely done for the season and possibly beyond. It’s an absolutely devastating blow for the Bucks, a team that has suffered nothing but bad luck since winning the title in 2021.
Despite the missing stars, the Bucks are fighting hard for playoff positioning and will want to win this game badly to rally around each other after receiving the news about Lillard on Tuesday. The Nuggets cannot afford to take this game lightly and assume that it will be an easy win with Jokic back and the Bucks’ stars missing.
The Nuggets have proven this season that they are fully capable of losing to any team in the league on any given night if they don’t show up. They should get a boost playing at home and getting Jokic back in the lineup. Now, they just need to show up and take care of business. It’s time to lock in and get in a rhythm with the NBA playoffs right around the corner.