Pacers vs. Nuggets Wednesday NBA injury report, odds, pick: Nikola Jokic out worth 6 points to spread; Malcolm Brogdon expected back for Indiana

The Denver Nuggets would have been approximately 3-point favorites for Wednesday's home game against the Indiana Pacers but instead are 3-point underdogs because the Nugs will be without reigning league MVP and triple-double machine Nikola Jokic – he and Giannis Antetokounmpo swing NBA spreads more than any other current player if they don't play. The Pacers should see the injury return of one of the Eastern Conference's better shooting guards in Malcolm Brogdon.

By now you've probably seen the body blow that Jokic laid on Miami's Markieff Morris in Monday's game, but Morris started it all with a flagrant foul on Jokic. The NBA suspended Jokic one game without pay for "forcefully shoving" Morris, who was not suspended for his Flagrant 2 foul but was fined $50,000.

"It's a stupid play, I feel bad," Jokic said after the game. "I'm not supposed to react that way. I got hit. I saw him, but I thought it was just gonna be like a take foul. But he bumped me and I was like, I think it was a dirty play and I just needed to protect myself."

Jokic finished with a triple-double vs. the Heat and Denver improved to 31-4 career when he has one. With all due respect to Giannis, no player in the league is more vital to his team's success than Jokic is to the Nuggets. The Serb leads Denver in scoring (25.4 ppg), rebounding (13.6 rpg), assists (5.7 apg) and steals (1.6 spg).

Jokic never misses a game so the Nuggets surely will be lost without him Wednesday. He hasn't missed any since sitting out two in 2018-19 and Denver was 1-1. The Nuggets also are without their second-most talented player in Michael Porter Jr. due to back issues. Point guard Monte Morris is listed as probable so should play.

Brogdon has missed the past two games with a non-COVID illness but is expected to play. The former NBA Rookie of the Year, who like Jokic was a second-round draft steal, is averaging 22.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists this season. This is the front end of a back-to-back for Indiana but no one is expected to rest.

The Nuggets swept the season series with the Pacers in 2020-21 and have done so in nine of the last 16 years. Indiana is just 16-30 all-time on the road against Denver.

Free NBA pick: This writer backed Indiana on the moneyline

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