Nikola Jokic and his Denver Nuggets squad have been thriving lately. They are the closest they’ve ever been to winning the title since 2009 when Carmelo Anthony was on the roster. They made it to the NBA Western Conference Finals in 2020, but the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated them and eventually won the title.
This season, it’s been the complete opposite, Denver swept LA in the Conference Finals, and it is now one game away from winning the franchise’s first title.
Their opponents, the Miami Heat led by Jimmy Butler, have been playing extremely well too. They were barely in the playoff conversation, however, they managed to turn things around very quickly. While they are capable of pulling off a 3-1 deficit comeback, Jokic is on close watch as well. There is no denying that the Nuggets have a legitimate chance of winning the series.
Murray has been putting up 25.2 points, 6.3 assists, and 5 rebounds per game in the playoffs so far. His stats have been quite impressive for someone who missed an entire season of basketball last year.
Nikola Jokic will start against the Miami Heat in Game 5
Nikola Jokic did have a slight setback during Game 4 against the Miami Heat. He accidentally rolled his ankle after landing on Max Strus’ foot in the first quarter. The Nuggets were a single point behind the Heat and Jokic limped his way to the locker room following the buzzer. Either way, he came back with blazing guns onto the court.
He helped the Nuggets in any way that he could eventually finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. The ankle roll may or may not have affected his ability too much but he still emerged victorious at the end. In Game 3 Jokic and Murray became the first ever duo to record a triple-double in the finals. Both players recorded 34 points and 10 assists while Jokic paired it with 21 rebounds.
Following Game 4, Head Coach Michael Malone said, “He’s fine. He’s tough.” This is a good indicator that Nikola is doing well and will be able to start in Game 5. There are chances of him experiencing soreness which could sideline him. However, the Nuggets haven’t listed him on their injury report so far. With a 3-1 lead, the Nuggets are very close to closing out the series as well.