Nikola Jokic is about to enter the record books as the first player in NBA history to lead in both rebounds (12.9) and assists per game (10.9). The only time even a variation of that occurred came in 1967-68 when Wilt Chamberlain led the league in both total rebounds (1,992) and total assists (702). Despite these decades-old records on the verge of breaking and numerous clutch performances, the Joker’s fourth MVP title and his streak of six top-two finishes in a row hang by a thread. The Denver Nuggets head coach already made his assessment, and now he is simply following through on it.

Courtesy of the troublesome 65-game minimum rule, the three-time MVP needs to play in the final game of the regular season against the San Antonio Spurs. But the Nuggets ruled out seven players, including Tim Hardaway Jr. (left knee soreness), Jamal Murray (right shoulder impingement), Aaron Gordon (right hamstring injury management), Cam Johnson (right ankle injury management), Christian Braun (left ankle injury management/right hip flexor strain), Peyton Watson (right hamstring strain), and Spencer Jones (right hamstring strain). Then comes the most important ‘questionable’ tag…

Jokic remains questionable due to the management of his right wrist injury. But if the Joker wants to qualify, he would not only have to suit up but also play at least 15 minutes in San Antonio. He is currently one game short. Even the Serbian’s streak of 7 consecutive All-NBA teams is at stake. He sat out of the 127-107 victory over the resting Oklahoma City Thunder. It was quite a shocking decision, and now David Adelman stated that the team will hold a final discussion for Sunday’s game.

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“We’re going to have that conversation,” Adelman said. “He went through a lot of treatment today. Obviously, playoff success matters more than anything, but this rule is in front of us, so we have to make a proper decision. We need a real plan, either it’s those minutes, or we move on.” They’re on an 11-game winning streak and on a 14-2 run since March 11. It was all possible on the back of Jokic’s performance. He made history by averaging a triple-double for the second consecutive season. But a hyper-extended left knee during a game against the Miami Heat on December 29, 2025, meant he was out for 16 games. That took away a major part of his game time and put his MVP status at risk.

According to the NBA MVP ladder, Victor Wembanyama is ranked #1, followed by defending MVP SGA. There were doubts about the Spurs star’s availability, but he played in his 65th game and put those doubts to rest. But there is one thing not in the French phenom’s favor… The Athletic revealed the anonymous poll of NBA players for this year’s MVP crown. Surprisingly, he was not in the top 5. SGA got 39% of the votes, while Jokic finished second with 21.4%. This further establishes why the Joker needs to play his last regular-season game.

Several other NBA stars, including Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, and Stephen Curry, have also fallen short of eligibility for individual awards despite strong seasons. Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic and his representation have already filed an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” to have his missed time, specifically two December games for the birth of his daughter, count toward his eligibility.

The Joker currently doesn’t have that option. So, he will have to play 15 minutes against the Spurs to be eligible. While the standard rule requires 65 games of at least 20 minutes, the regulations allow up to 2 games in which a player must play at least 15 minutes. His only game with fewer than the threshold minutes was the game where he got injured. So, the decision comes down to the head coach’s stance on resting his team.

Coach Adelman clarified his unusual stance on resting the team, which put Nikola Jokic’s eligibility at risk

The Nuggets’ head coach benched all his starters, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon, against the Thunder. This stunned the NBA community, as they still haven’t locked in the third seed. But Adelman is in favor of long-term playoff readiness over any seeding or individual accolades for Jokic. Whether the Nuggets face the Rockets or the Timberwolves, regardless of their 6-2 overall record against them this season, it will be a challenging seven-game series.

“The matchups with those teams, I’ll be honest, there’s so much unknown,” Adelman explained to Denver media about his deliberate move to avoid a first-round nightmare. “I think people need to calm down with ‘Let’s play the Lakers.’ If Luka comes back and feels good, do you want to play Luka Doncic? Like, I think you’re messing with the game when you think that.” Another reason the head coach rested the majority of his players against the Thunder was the previous heated battles. Two of their last five games have gone to overtime.

In the February 27 game, Lu Dort was ejected after a hard foul on the Joker, sparking tempers with teammates and coaches coming in to make the save. Considering the locker-room dynamic in Denver, the coach won’t hamper Jokic’s MVP chances unless absolutely necessary.