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Andrew LopezESPN
DENVER — Nikola Jokic will miss Thursday night’s game with right calf tightness, the Denver Nuggets announced.
Jokic was added to the injury report Wednesday afternoon after playing against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. It will be just the ninth game Jokic has missed this season.
Denver hosts the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.
The decision on Jokic was made about an hour before tipoff. During his pregame news conference earlier, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said that “if there was any doubt, we will err on the side of caution with seven games left.”
The Nuggets travel to take on the Phoenix Suns on Friday before heading back home on Sunday for a matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
Denver then has three road games — at Houston, back to Phoenix and then at Utah — before wrapping up the season on a back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings.
Currently, Denver is 51-24 and holds a three-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies in the race for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Jokic is averaging 24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.9 assists this season. Denver has gone 3-5 this season when Jokic has missed a game.