Fantastic News: Denver is ecstatic, as the Nuggets are on the verge of regaining their All-Star guard

 

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray will miss Monday’s game against the Clippers, but he might return later this week. Murray’s comeback is “imminent,” according to Charania, who believes he will be available Wednesday against Houston or Friday against Phoenix.

Murray’s recovery will be a “day-by-day process” beyond Monday, according to Charania, with the medical team assessing how he feels each day.

Denver is 5-5 without Murray, who went down with a right hamstring issue on November 4. The defending champions have dropped out of first place in the West and are now tied with five other clubs at 11-6.

Murray is the Nuggets’ second-best player, and he and Nikola Jokic have an on-court chemistry that makes the team exceedingly difficult to defend. Before the injury, Murray was averaging 16.3 points per game, 7.4 assists per game, and a career-high 43.8% from three-point range in seven games.

Murray had not suffered any severe injuries since recovering from the ACL tear that forced him to miss the whole 2021-22 season.

Murray was hailed as “one of the game’s great competitors” by Charania, who noted that he was shooting jumpers in street clothes during a recent game’s halftime.

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Clippers vs. Nuggets: Tough Run Continues

 

The Clippers’ challenging road trip continues with a home game against the Denver Nuggets.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervison, Bally Sports SoCal, NBA TV

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Terance Mann – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Nuggets: Reggie Jackson – Justin Holiday – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Michael Porter Jr. – Nikola Jokic

Injury Report

Clippers: Mason Plumlee out (MCL), Brandon Boston Jr. out (quad)

Nuggets: Jamal Murray out (hamstring), Vlatko Cancar out (knee), Aaron Gordon questionable (heel)

The Big Picture

The Clippers are coming off one of their best wins of the season, arguably their very best. After a lackluster performance against the New Orleans Pelicans the day after Thanksgiving, the Clippers needed a bounce-back game and they accomplished just that.

They pretty much dominated the Dallas Mavericks from the opening tip and managed to win by double digits in a game where both Kawhi Leonard and James Harden had off shooting nights.

While the Clippers did get big scoring nights from Paul George and Terance Mann, it was their defense that stifled the Mavs, including long-time Clipper killer Luka Doncic.

The Clippers are clearly still trying to work out some kinks since the Harden trade and the subsequent move of Russell Westbrook to the bench. Some games things are going to flow very well. Other games are going to look clunky and out of rhythm. But they have a decent chance at stringing together a mini-streak with another home game.

The Antagonist

The Denver Nuggets come to town reeling a little bit. They’ve lost Jamal Murray for the time being as he deals with a hamstring injury, though he does look close to returning. They’ve gone 5-5 in their last ten games after starting the season looking like they were locked in to repeat as champions.

Even so, this is not a team to take lightly. They may or may not have Aaron Gordon available as he sat Sunday night against the Spurs due to heel issues. But the man in the middle, Nikola Jokic, is still available. As he goes, so do the Nuggets. He’s coming off a 39-point, 11-rebound, and nine assist performance against the Spurs.

Starting off strong, as the Mavericks did, is critical. The Clippers have an opportunity to make a statement here by defeating two good teams in a row. They have a significant advantage with their bench.

This isn’t going to be an easy game, and despite their current slump and injury woes, the Nuggets are more than capable of coming in and winning. Stopping Jokic is no simple task, and 28 other clubs in the league are facing the same issue with no clear solution. What matters is that the Nuggets shooters don’t get going because of Jokic’s passing. A win will most likely depend on keeping the Nuggets’ role players in control.