Nikola Jokić sidelined by illness as Denver faces Boston

DENVER (AP) —The three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić was unable to play in Denver's game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night due to illness. Nikola Jokić was replaced with another player from the team's lineup.

The Nuggets center went from probable to questionable to out over the course of the day. He was seen 

leaving the arena

 a little more than an hour before tipoff.

“He wasn’t feeling great yesterday, and that has only gotten worse today, which is unfortunate,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said before the game.

Jokić is coming off a stretch in which he averaged 36.5 points, 16.5 rebounds and 11.3 assists to earn

Western Conference player of

 the week honors. It was the 16th time in his career he picked up the award, the most in franchise history.

Malone said it’s difficult to insert another player in Jokić’s place because, “we don’t have another guy averaging 32, 13 and 10,” he said, alluding to Jokić’s points (31.5), rebounds (13) and assist (9.7) totals this season.

“We have to play how we play,” Malone added before a game on national television. “We know that they (Celtics) are elite on both ends of the floor and whoever is available to play … just go out there and find a way, not an excuse.”

It was setting up to be quite a showdown between the last two NBA champions. In addition, this was a matchup between the reigning NBA players of the week. Tatum earned the Eastern Conference player of the week honors after averaging 25 points and eight rebounds.

The Nuggets were even more short-handed, with forward Aaron Gordon already sidelined by a strained right calf.

Jokić sat out three games in November as he and his wife welcomed another baby. The Nuggets went 1-2 in his absence.

“He’s such a guy that brings a clear identity,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of Jokić. “It’s a different frequency.”

Boston was without guard Derrick White because of an illness. He’s averaging 17.1 points this season.