Catastrophe appeared to strike the Denver Nuggets franchise just before 9 p.m. EST in Miami on Monday, when three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic went down in a heap with what appeared to be a serious knee injury late in the second quarter of the Nuggets’ 147-123 loss to the Miami Heat.

Jokic limped gingerly off the court and didn’t return to the game, sparking speculation on social media that an inevitable torn ACL announcement was bound to come Tuesday morning. The opposite has seemingly transpired, as the initial reporting suggests that Jokic avoided serious injury. Still, it’s almost certain he will miss a bit of time. 

Following the game, Jamal Murray spoke on his teammate and expressed relief that he appeared to avoid a similar fate to what Murray endured in 2021 when he suffered a season-ending ACL tear. 

“I just wish the best, you know,” Murray said. “The first thing that went through my mind was I hope it's not what I had. So as long as that's out of the equation, then obviously it's part of the game. But we never want to see it happen. I’ll talk to him soon.”

In terms of how the Nuggets expect to pick themselves up after Jokic’s injury, that’s a given. The Nuggets have spent extended time without several key players this season and still have the fastest start in franchise history through 30 games. Playing without Jokic is obviously a different beast, but the cast of characters that surround him is more competent than they are credited for.

“It's the same kind of mentality,” Murray said. “Just next man up, you know, we’ve got to focus on what's in here. Obviously, he's not just a big part of what we do, but almost everything what we do. So we just want to see him healthy, and everybody's in here to ready to step up.”

When asked what the Nuggets found in the second half without Jokic that they can carry with them these next few weeks while he’s presumably out, Murray pointed out a few things. Mainly one of his emerging teammates and the fact that the team needs to keep the pace there offensively.

“Spencer Jones,’ Murray said. “No, I think just keeping the ball hopping, playing fast and then playing some defense. And hopefully this gives us a chance to play some defense and have a faster play style. But you know, when you lose the MVP, it's not always not going to be easy.”