NIKOLA JOKIC INJURY UPDATE: IS THE "65-GAME RULE" ABOUT TO STEAL HIS MVP?
Nikola Jokic is "antsy" to return, but the NBA’s 65-game rule could strip the Nuggets star of his fourth MVP and All-NBA honours.
Nikola Jokic hasn’t suited up for the Nuggets since he hurt his knee back on December 29 against the Heat. Doctors called it a hyperextended left knee, and the team ruled him out for at least a month.
Coach David Adelman talked to the media before Friday’s game with Atlanta and sounded pretty upbeat about Jokic’s recovery. He said Jokic is working out and testing the knee, but the real test is how he feels the next day after he pushes himself a little. That’s what they’re watching.
Still, Adelman doesn’t think Jokic will make it back soon enough to stay eligible for the NBA’s big awards this year. He told everyone to be patient. Jokic has barely missed games in his career, but this time, it’s just taking longer.
Even with the injury, Jokic is still sitting at No. 1 on NBA.com’s MVP Rankings. He’s likely to hold onto that spot unless he becomes ineligible or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder really take off. As Shaun Powell pointed out, nobody was playing better than Jokic before he went down. He leads the league in triple-doubles and double-doubles, and it’s hard to argue that anyone’s outperformed him all season.
Jaylen Brown has climbed up to No. 3, Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama are just behind, and the rest of the Top 10 includes Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Maxey, and Kevin Durant.
But if Jokic wants to stay in the running for awards, he needs to be back by January 29 against the Nets and play the rest of the games. If he doesn’t hit 65 games, he’s out—not just for MVP, but also for All-NBA and other honours too.
Jokic’s injury just made a rough situation worse for Denver. The Nuggets were already missing Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, and Cameron Johnson. Braun and Gordon came back last week, though the team are still careful with their minutes. Jamal Murray’s also had a bum ankle and missed a couple of games.
As for Johnson, he was supposed to be out four to six weeks, but he’s started doing some light workouts, so he might return sooner than expected.
On top of all that, Spencer Jones sprained his ankle, Jonas Valanciunas is nursing a strained calf, and to make matters worse, a bug swept through the team and knocked out a bunch of healthy guys during the Hawks game. It’s been a rough stretch for Denver, to say the least.
PLAY THROUGH PAIN? HOW JAMES HARDEN’S NON-SHOOTING HAND FRACTURE CHANGES HIS 49% THREE-POINT STROKE
Is the gamble safe? Analyse Harden's 6-1 record since the Garland trade and his plan to play through pain in Milwaukee.
James Harden didn’t bother waiting on a doctor’s report to let everyone know how he feels about the Cavaliers. Not even a fractured thumb could cool his confidence after Cleveland’s 109–104 win over the Knicks on Tuesday. Harden said it loud and clear: he thinks the Cavs are built for a deep run.
“We’ve got, what, 25 games left? "I think we can get there,” Harden said, then corrected himself. “Actually, I know we can get there. It all starts on defence. Offensively, we’ve got six guys who can score in double figures, but defence is the key. If we really lock in and get stops, we’re going to be tough.”
The Cavs got a break the next day. Harden’s injury didn’t need surgery, so their hopes for a championship push are alive and well. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Harden saw a hand specialist and plans to play through the fracture. No surgery. He’s suiting up.
It helps that it’s his non-shooting hand, so he avoids the kind of layoff that would have knocked him out for weeks.
Even so, things aren’t totally settled. Harden is listed as day-to-day, and he might sit out the next game against the Bucks while the team manages his pain and swelling. “There’s going to be a lot of pain management over the next few days,” Charania said. “He might sit tonight in Milwaukee. He wants to play, and he’ll wear a wrap or splint.”
At 36, Harden’s reputation for playing through pain is well-earned. He’s not the type to sit unless he absolutely has to, but the Cavs won’t push him if he’s hurting.
Since trading for Harden in that big midseason move with the Clippers, Cleveland has gone 6–1 when he plays. They gave up a lot to get him, sending 26-year-old former All-Star Darius Garland to L, which made it clear they’re chasing a title right now.
Harden’s numbers back it up: 18.9 points, 8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and he’s scorching from deep at nearly 49%. He’s taken over late in games and brought some needed swagger to the Cavs.
Even the night he hurt his thumb, Harden dropped 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting, added four assists, and kept the offence steady for 32 minutes.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson says Harden’s impact goes beyond stats. “Bringing James on has given us renewed confidence,” Atkinson said. “We’re a better team now, and that confidence makes us play harder, especially on defence."
Atkinson admitted the team was missing that edge earlier in the year. “I felt like we were kind of missing that belief. Now I feel like we’re getting it back.”
So here they are at 37–22, tied with the Knicks for third in the East, and according to Tankathon, they’ve got one of the league’s easiest remaining schedules.
Whether Harden plays right away or takes a short break, his message is the same: he believes in this team’s shot at a title, and he’s not stepping aside now.
Cleveland avoided a disaster with Harden’s injury, and that means their big midseason gamble is still on. Their new star is all in, and so are the Cavs.
THE MENDOZA EFFECT: WHY FERNANDO MENDOZA IS THE UNDISPUTED KING OF THE 2026 CLASS
NFL news: Mendoza to Vegas. Get the report on Cole Payton’s hype and why this year's QB depth is facing major criticism.
The 2026 quarterback class basically starts and ends with Fernando Mendoza.
The Raiders have the top pick in the draft, and now’s their shot to change the franchise for the next ten years. Mendoza, the Heisman winner, the guy who brought Indiana a national title, looks like the obvious choice when it’s their turn. Everybody expects it.
But after Mendoza? It’s wide open. He’s not even testing at the Combine this week, and the rest of the class is a toss-up. You could name almost anyone as the second-best QB, and hardly anyone would argue. That’s the kind of uncertainty hanging over Indianapolis right now.
Honestly, the 2026 class just doesn’t have the hype we saw last year. Carson Beck has his own set of concerns. Garrett Nussmeier and Drew Allar both had rough, injury-plagued seasons.
So now, you’ve got guys like Alabama’s Ty Simpson and North Dakota State’s Cole Payton getting more attention. Even Daniel Jeremiah from NFL Network admits nobody really knows how these quarterbacks will come off the board in April.
“I think there are some interesting guys,” Jeremiah said in Indy. “But it’s not like two years ago, when there were clear stars, and six of them went early. I don’t see that this year.
“But after Mendoza, Ty Simpson is pretty fascinating. If you look at those flashes from the start of the season, there’s real potential. I watched more tape on him this morning, checked out all his third-and-seven throws, and, honestly, this wasn’t the usual stacked Alabama team around him.
“He was under a ton of pressure. Not many guys were getting open downfield. So maybe you can look past some of the struggles late in the year. The starts are limited, the track record isn’t great, but you can find some impressive moments on film. He’s definitely intriguing.”
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