Jokic and Murray have been dealing with injuries for last few games.
The Denver Nuggets are on a quest to do something truly incredible. After winning the NBA championship last season, they’re gunning for a second one this year. Winning back-to-back championships is hard, though, for a number of reasons. The biggest factor for that, of course, is injuries.
Teams in the NBA finals play the longest schedule, and thus have shorter breaks in between seasons. As a result, the chance for injuries goes way up for them. Case in point: the Nuggets this season. Nikola Jokic recently suffered a wrist injury, while Jamal Murray has been dealing various injuries as well.
After a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Nuggets are looking to get back on track against the Cleveland Cavaliers. What’s the status of both Murray and Jokic? Well, Murray is listed as questionable due to right knee inflammation. Jokic, on the other hand, is probable due to the aforementioned wrist injury.
Nuggets’ season so far
The Nuggets have been playing some pretty great basketball this season. After sitting in fourth place for most of the year, they’re now fighting for that top seed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the loss to the Timberwolves has sent them back to the third seed, behind the ‘Wolves and the Thunder.
As usual, the big players for the Nuggets are their star point guard-center duo. After a truly elite postseason run, Jamal Murray is back to playing a solid job at the very least for Denver. His ability to take control of the offense with or without Jokic has done wonders for them. He’s averaging over 20 points per game with 4.5 assists on great efficiency.
Of course, though, the engine that powers the Nuggets is Nikola Jokic. The two-time MVP is currently on pace to win his third MVP this season. He’s not scoring an absurd amount of points, but 26 points per game with 12.2 rebounds and 8.9 assists for arguably the best team in the league is grounds for MVP talk. Together, the two have carried Denver to multiple wins.
Injury troubles
Unfortunately, the two haven’t been playing a lot of ball together as of late. Murray has missed the last few games due to his knee injury seemingly flaring up. Considering his injury history, the Nuggets are being extremely cautious with his recovery. The playoffs are approaching, and they don’t really want to jeopardize Murray’s health to chase the 1-seed.
As for Jokic, the star Nuggets center suffered a wrist injury during their loss to the Timberwolves. Jokic has expressed his desire to play through the injury. The probable tag does mean that there’s a higher chance that the center plays this game, but who knows.
The Nuggets are going to try and bounce back against another contender in the Cavs. Can Denver hold on and get the win and continue to stake a claim for the top seed in the West? Or will they prioritize player health and coast to the playoffs with a lower seed? It’s an interesting question, one that Denver will need to answer moving forward.
About the Author
Gerard Angelo Samillano is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, with his focus primarily on the NBA, NFL, MLB and Gaming. When he’s not writing for CP, Gerard can often be seen playing VALORANT or playing pick-up basketball. He’s also working on his BS Mathematics degree.
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