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February 3 update - Jokic is not on the injury report for Friday’s game against the Pelicans, which means he’s expected to suit up for the contest. The big man missed Wednesday’s game with a toe issue, but it’s not painful enough to cost him multiple games. This could be a thing that flares up from time to time for Jokic, who is once a MVP contender. Expect him to return Friday.
The Denver Nuggets will be without Nikola Jokic for Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz. The MVP candidate is dealing with a toe issue and played in Tuesday’s game but is sitting out the second game of a back-to-back set.
Nikola Jokic is out for tonight’s game vs. Utah, I’m told.
— Mike Singer (@msinger) February 3, 2022
The Nuggets are now 6.5-point underdogs per DraftKings Sportsbook, which is a bump from the original line at +3. With Jokic out, look for Jeff Green and JaMychal Green to get minutes in the frontcourt. Aaron Gordon has also been ruled out, so those minutes are also going to be available.
Luckily for Denver, the Jazz are also dealing with injury issues as Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson are out. The Nuggets will likely lean heavily on their backcourt in this game for scoring, so Monte Morris and Will Barton might be the best fantasy/DFS lineup options from Denver in this contest. Jokic will attempt to get back on the court Friday against the Pelicans.