Nuggets’ Jonas Valanciunas to miss four weeks with calf strain after Jokic injury
Denver Nuggets backup center Jonas Valanciunas will be sidelined for at least four weeks after suffering a right calf strain during Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.
The setback comes shortly after the team lost superstar Nikola Jokic, who is expected to miss a similar timeframe following a hyperextended leg and bone bruise sustained in the game against the Miami Heat.
Valanciunas exited the court limping in the third quarter of the Nuggets’ victory over Toronto and did not return. With both big men now out, what many regarded as the NBA’s top center duo will be absent for the next month.
The Lithuanian center had been averaging 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 8.5 minutes per game this season, serving as Jokic’s backup—a career-low output.
Valanciunas is in the second year of his three-year, $30 million contract, initially signed with the Sacramento Kings before being traded to Denver ahead of this season.
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