Nikola Jokic has missed a handful of games for the Denver Nuggets over this recent stretch for the team. Initially, the optimism was that Jokic simply needed some rest. However, as the Nuggets superstar continues to be inactive for Denver's matchups, it appears to be more of a growing concern.

The silver lining for the Nuggets would be the fact that they have stayed afloat without their MVP candidate. Denver has gone 2-2 over this current stretch that the Serbian big man has been unavailable for.

Apart from Jokic, the rest of the roster has been getting healthier. The Nuggets had four of their five usual starters available for their last matchup against the red-hot Houston Rockets and a 39-point game from Jamal Murray put them into the win column, snapping the Rockets' 9-game winning streak on Sunday.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15).

In the second part of a back-to-back, the Nuggets will now turn around and face the Chicago Bulls to open up a five-game home stand. It does not appear that Jokic will be suiting up for this game either. Nuggets reporter Katy Winge revealed that Michael Malone was not feeling optimistic about the availability of his superstar center for Monday night. However, there was a good feeling of another regard.

The good news is it does sound like Jokic will be back in the near future. The uncertainty comes from whether that will be in a couple of days or a week from now.

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