DENVER – The Nuggets are also playing the waiting game this week.
Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic entered the league's COVID-19 protocols on Tuesday, indicating he either tested positive or received a series of inconclusive tests. Jokic did not play Wednesday against the Knicks at Ball Arena but could exit protocols for Friday and Sunday’s games in Dallas.
According to league protocols, Jokic would need to produce two consecutive negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. By Jokic’s third day in protocols, Friday, he would need to submit a test with a cycle threshold (CT) above 35. A CT count determines a person’s viral load. The higher the number, the better.
“Get healthy, clear protocols, come back. That’s in our sports science team’s (hands). Once they tell me that he’s passed the two tests … I think right now he has to return a CT count of, I think, above 35. The longer that goes, the (required) CT count comes down,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone detailed Jokic’s path forward prior to Wednesday’s game.
“We’ll have to wait and see how it goes.”
On days four and five, a CT count of 30 or more is good enough to get out of protocols. After day five, a single negative test or a CT count above 32 works as a ticket to return to the court, while all players are eligible to return after 10 days regardless of test results.
Jokic had COVID in July, 2020. He described his experience this way: "It was not difficult at all. I was home. ... I work out every day. I enjoy every day. So it was actually not that bad."
Still, NBA rules benched the MVP.
Nuggets guard Bones Hyland entered protocols prior to Friday’s game in Boston. He missed that day's game against the Celtics and Sunday's win over the Bulls. He exited protocols prior to Wednesday’s game, putting his exit right around the five-day mark.
The Nuggets’ coach said a day to prepare without Jokic is more than enough.
“We’ve been down plenty of guys before. There’s no feel sorry for us. We have a job to do,” Malone said. “The guys that are available, go out there and do your job to the best of your ability. (It’s) a great opportunity for a lot of guys to get some minutes to play.”