Two of the league’s top players, the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and Lakers stalwart Anthony Davis suffered injuries on the court during their respective contests on Wednesday.
Nikola Jokic could not complete the match against Utah Jazz after looking in imperious touch. The center was on 24 points in just 14 minutes before the injury struck.
The league’s MVP collided his knee along with the current defensive player of the league, Rudy Gobert. He immediately clutched his knee and went down on the floor. He tried to shake off the injury, but ultimately gave up and made his way into the locker room with the medical staff.
The franchise announced during half-time that Jokic has suffered a knee contusion and while he was on the court doing warm-ups during the break, he did not partake in the second half of the fixture.
Denver coach Michael Malone spoke to reporters following the match, where he mentioned Jokic’s current status. He revealed that he expects Jokic to be back soon as the injury is not that serious. He said:
“I really haven’t had a chance to talk to trainers yet but I don’t think it’s anything too serious,”
Malone added that it was him who took the decision to keep Jokic off the court in the second half. He added:
“What I have learned about Nikola is, if you leave it up to Nikola, he is going to play every game. So sometimes I have to make decisions for him, and it makes no sense for me when he told me it feels a little weak for him to play in the second half. And that is for any player. … It just didn’t make any sense to have Nikola go out there for a second night of a back-to-back and the risk of any further damage.”
Anthony Davis also suffered a blow to his knee after a collision
Los Angeles Lakers played without LeBron James during their overtime win against San Antonio Spurs. Anthony Davis and Russel Westbrook stepped up and led the side to victory, but the former had to battle pain to get the team over the line.
Anthony Davis collided with Dejounte Murray and his status much like his teammate LeBron is still unclear for their next contest against bottom-placed Oklahoma City Thunder. The player spoke to reporters after the game and said that he will have to wait and see the extent of the injury in the coming hours. Davis said:
“He ran into my knee. Like a little stinger, a little stinger. And then started moving, it just kind of went away. I kept playing. Still felt it a little bit, but finished the game. And we’ll see how it is when I wake up tomorrow.”
Also Read:
NBA Week 2 Oct 26 Results: Scores, standings, match summary and highlights
