Triple award winner Nikola Jokic suffers a 'heartbreaking' injury to his knee.

The star center playing basketball
Jokic won the league's MVP award in three of the past four years.

Thrice-crowned National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic suffered a "gut-wrenching" injury to his knee while the Denver Nuggets lost 147-123 against the Miami Heat.

The star player was hurt towards the end of the second quarter following an inadvertent contact with team-mate Spencer Jones.

The other player stepped on the foot of the big man, and he instantly went down to the floor grabbing his leg.

The veteran player, that tops the NBA season in boards and dimes, recorded a score of 21 points and eight assists in the game prior to incurring the setback.

He will have an scan on Tuesday to evaluate the severity of the injury.

"Immediately, Jokic understood there was a problem," said Nuggets coach Adelman.

"This is part of the NBA. Anyone that suffers an injury, it's difficult, most notably a player as special as he is. We'll find out more on Tuesday."

"The team will adjust together. Of course, at this moment, I am more worried just about Jokic as a person and the frustration of facing a situation of that nature."

Henry Bennett
Henry Bennett

A Berlin-based political analyst with a decade of experience covering European affairs and a passion for investigative journalism.