Nuggets star Nikola Jokić (left knee) to miss at least 4 weeks

Denver star Nikola Jokić will be out of the lineup at least a month after suffering a left knee injury against Miami on Monday night. Per the team, Jokić suffered a hyperextended left knee and will be out at least four weeks.

It’s an obvious blow to the already short-handed Nuggets, but it is not a season-ending issue nor one that would require surgical repair. If Jokić misses a month, that means he would be sidelined for about 16 games but could be playing again before February’s NBA All-Star Game.

Jokić was having another brilliant game against the Heat, registering 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the first half, with behind-the-back passes to set up scores and generally doing whatever he wanted.

Then came one misstep from a teammate with about three seconds left until halftime — and now, the Nuggets wait to see how bad the news might be.

Jokić limped off the court in Miami after appearing to hurt his left knee just before the intermission of the 147-123 loss. He was not on the floor for the second half and the Nuggets did not immediately release any news on the severity of the injury.

“Obviously, it’s part of the game,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said Monday night after the game — speaking before the team got the word on the severity of Jokic’s injury. “But we never want to see it happen. … Next man up. We’ve got to focus on what’s in here.”

Jokić entered Monday averaging 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists — well on his way to a triple-double average for the second consecutive season.

Denver has five games left on a seven-game road trip, one that resumes Wednesday when the Nuggets visit the Toronto Raptors.

Jokić was alone under the basket and appeared to step forward to help Denver’s Spencer Jones defend a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to expire in the second quarter. While backtracking, Jones stepped on Jokić’s left foot and it seemed the center’s knee buckled.

Jokić collapsed to the court, grabbing at the knee and writhing in pain. He was helped to his feet, then made his way to the locker room under his own power.

Denver has been playing without three would-be starters in Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cam Johnson. Even after dropping four of their last six games, the Nuggets are still currently No. 3 in the Western Conference at 22-10, with Jokić having played in all 32 of those games.

That’s about to change. Denver is 13-23 over the last five seasons when Jokić isn’t in the lineup, and any slippage in the coming weeks would be damaging to the Nuggets’ playoff positioning. The Nuggets entered Tuesday only three games ahead of Phoenix, which is currently seventh in the conference.

“You just have to stay with it as a team and as a group,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said Monday night. “And honestly, you have to stay with it as a team and a group because that’s how you best support your teammates that are out — by honoring them when you play. So, we’ll move on from there. This is part of the NBA.”

The injury interrupts what might be Jokić’s best season of his career. Not only is he leading the league in rebounds and assists, but he’s shooting a career-best 43.5% from 3-point range and tops the NBA with a true shooting percentage — a formula that accounts for 3-pointers and free throws — of just over 71%.

“It’s like a quest for efficiency and consistency, and I think that’s whether he admits it or not, he sees it as a craft,” Adelman said before Monday’s game, a couple of hours before the injury happened. “He’s trying to look at it as something, ‘What can I get better over the year at?’ And I think it’s been really impressive to watch him over these years, not be satisfied with it, and attack new journeys.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.