The Denver Nuggets travel to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night at Smoothie King Center with both teams dealing with impactful injury situations ahead of their third meeting of the season.
Denver enters the matchup at 26-13, third in the Western Conference, while New Orleans sits at 9-32 and last in the conference despite splitting its last two road games.
The Nuggets’ injury report is headlined by the absence of Nikola Jokic, who remains out with a left knee bone bruise after averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 11.0 assists this season.
Jamal Murray is listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain and illness, placing additional uncertainty on a backcourt that relies heavily on his 25.3 points and 7.5 assists per game.
Aaron Gordon is probable despite a right hamstring strain, and his availability would be significant given his 18.4 points per game and defensive versatility in Denver’s forward rotation.
Christian Braun is out with a left ankle sprain, while Cameron Johnson remains sidelined with a right knee bone bruise, limiting the Nuggets’ wing depth.
Jonas Valanciunas is also out due to a right calf strain, thinning the frontcourt behind Zeke Nnaji and Peyton Watson.
Denver is coming off a 108-104 home win over Milwaukee after suffering a 23-point loss to Atlanta, and the offense has averaged 122.7 points per game despite the growing injury list.
New Orleans will again be without Dejounte Murray, who is out with a ruptured right Achilles. Herbert Jones is sidelined with a right ankle sprain. Jose Alvarado is out with a left oblique strain, while Saddiq Bey is listed as questionable due to a right hip flexor issue after averaging 15.1 points and 5.9 rebounds.
The Pelicans continue to lean on Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson, who are combining for over 44 points per game.
New Orleans is coming off a 118-128 loss in Orlando following a decisive win in Washington, and the defense has allowed 122.4 points per game on the season.
Denver has already defeated New Orleans twice this year, including a 122-88 blowout in October and a 125-118 road win in November.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET
