Update: Nikola Jokic will miss third straight game for Nuggets on Tuesday

Nikola Jokic has missed the first two games of the Nuggets current road trip due to personal reasons and they have resulted in two ugly losses for Denver. Jokic is with his family, celebrating the birth of his son; he missed the team’s losses in New Orleans on Friday and Memphis on Sunday.

Jokic was listed as questionable for each of the past two games, eventually being ruled out on game day on each occasion. This time, the team stayed in Memphis as they’ll play another game against the Grizzlies on Tuesday night, an NBA Cup group play game.

Nikola Jokic ruled out for third straight game

And sure enough, on Tuesday afternoon it was revealed that Jokic would not play yet again. He’ll remain with his family and miss his third straight game. This always made the most sense as Jokic has been home while the team is on the road. They’ll finish the trip in Memphis and return home for their next game.

Jokic played in the first ten games of the season, leading the Nuggets to a 7-3 start. He was playing at a ridiculous level, leading the league in assists and rebounds per game, while appearing in the top 10 in scoring and steals as well. 

Coming into the season, fans figured that Jokic would have to raise the bar even higher after winning three MVP awards in four years to win another, but one month into the season, he has proven to be the heavy favorite.

Nuggets need to play better without Jokic - especially Jamal Murray

But as good as Jokic has been, the rest of the team has been just about as bad without him. They look lost and unable to generate any offense whenever Jokic sits. This has been on full display the past two games as Jamal Murray has come under a microscope.

Murray was given a four-year max contract extension in the offseason which led fans to believe that the team was confident the 27-year-old Murray was healthy and ready to produce at the best level of his career. But so far, we’ve seen the opposite out of Murray.

He has struggled on both ends and looks like he’s trending more toward being a streaky scorer off the bench than a second star on a championship contender. Still, the season is very young and Murray has a long time to prove himself. Tonight would be a great time to start.