Denver Nuggets receive a devastating update on Jamal Murray’s injuries.

The Denver Nuggets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans despite the absence of standout player Jamal Murray. Murray was out with a strained right hamstring suffered against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

Following the victory, head coach Michael Malone provided an update to the media on Murray’s return date. He stated that the ailment could take some time to cure and that it is not a “one or two-game injury.”

“We’ll keep talking to our doctors, but his injury isn’t going to be a one- or two-game thing,” Malone said (h/t Bennett Durando). “That’s all I know. This will take a little longer than we would like. … You must consider the larger picture and ensure that we are putting him in a position to recover before he returns. Because this is an ailment that, if you continue to have reoccurring hamstring or soft tissue injuries, can persist and worsen. And that is exactly what we do not want to happen.”

In Jamal Murray’s absence, Julian Strawther and Michael Porter Jr. flourish for the Denver Nuggets.

Though Murray will have to miss some time to recover from his injury, the Nuggets may be able to fill the vacuum created by his absence.

Denver beat New Orleans on Monday thanks to huge games from rookie forwards Julian Strawther and Michael Porter Jr.

Strawther scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including five three-pointers, in just 19 minutes off the bench.

Porter Jr. was able to deliver a similar offensive punch as a starter rather than a reserve. Against New Orleans, he scored 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

When a star is injured, the rest of the squad has more opportunities to score. Hopefully, these two are willing to shoulder some of the load for Denver.