After posting a career-best 61 points in a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at home, Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic will reportedly be rested for this Wednesday night's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs in Mile High City (h/t Bennett Durando of The Denver Post).
I’m told the Nuggets plan to rest most of their players tonight, including Nikola Jokic,” Durando shared in a post on X Wednesday evening.
Jokic had a herculean effort in the 140-139 double-overtime Nuggets loss to the Timberwolves, posting an incredible stat line of 61 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in 53 minutes of action.
Apart from Jokic, other Nuggets players expected not to see action against San Antonio at Ball Arena in Denver are Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr, as noted by Katy Winge of AltitudeTV.
The decision to keep the said players out for a matchup against the Spurs makes sense for Denver since this is the second leg of a back-to-back set. That's not to mention that the meeting between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves lasted two overtimes. However, both Murray and Porter did not play against Minnesota due to personal and health reasons, respectively.
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Gordon had 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the heartbreaking loss to the Timberwolves.
With the Nuggets rolling with a much slimmer lineup, the likes of DeAndre Jordan, Zeke Nnaji and Jalen Pickett can be expected to see significant upticks in their playing time. Also, Russell Westbrook, whose late-game blunders hurt Denver against Minnesota, is available to play and should see a big usage for this matchup versus San Antonio, especially with the backcourt missing both Murray and Braun.
The soonest Jokic and the others out for the Spurs game can return to action will be on Friday when the Nuggets lock horns with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Nuggets are 47-29 overall and 25-13 in home games, so far in the 2024-25 NBA regular season.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.