Is Nikola Jokic playing tonight against Minnesota Timberwolves? Looking at 2x MVP's status for Game 1 (May 4)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is listed as available for the upcoming Game 1 of the Western Conference’s semifinals matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

Denver didn't perform as they hoped in their series against the LA Lakers, despite securing a 4-1 victory. The Nuggets found themselves trailing by double digits in the first half of almost every game, requiring significant second-half efforts to clinch wins. Nikola Jokic excelled throughout the series, averaging 28.2 points, 16.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game.

Jamal Murray, despite hitting two game-winners and averaging 23.6 points per game, struggled with his shooting in this series, making just 40.0% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range. Michael Porter Jr. emerged as the most efficient player of the series, averaging 22.8 points on 55.3% shooting from the field and 48.8% from beyond the arc.

Aaron Gordon also performed impressively on offense, leveraging his cutting skills and attacking the offensive rebounds consistently, averaging 13.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

The Nuggets have struggled with depth this season, a weakness that was apparent in their series against the Lakers. Denver lacks a solid backup for Jokic, and they received inconsistent contributions from Peyton Watson, Christian Braun and Justin Holiday.

The team managed only 108.6 points per game on 46.3% shooting from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range. While the Nuggets demonstrated their ability to close out games, they need to improve their first-half performances if they hope to advance further.

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What happened to Nikola Jokic?

Nikola Jokic has displayed remarkable durability throughout the season, missing just three games out of 82. Notably, the games he missed were due to left hip inflammation, a concern that goes back to 2017.

He was initially listed as questionable before being shut down to play the Western Conference’s 14th-ranked Portland Trail Blazers on March 23. He continued to battle his hip inflammation for the subsequent two games before being added to the injury report again in April for four straight games.

He missed games against the LA Clippers on Nov. 27 and the OKC Thunder on Jan. 31. Apart from his hip injury, he has also dealt with wrist, back, eye and arm injuries.

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Nikola Jokic stats vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Nikola Jokic has appeared in 34 games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, going 22-12. He has averaged 21.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists with 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks on 53.9% shooting from the field, 28.3% from the 3-point line and 79.5% from the free throw line.