The Denver Nuggets have been one of the best teams in basketball this season. They’ve emerged as one of the favorites to come out of the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. Theoretically, this should be a good test for a Cleveland Cavaliers team on Friday that’s coming off two straight impressive wins. However, the team that the Cavs will be facing won’t be close to the group that has been so good this season.
Denver will be without four members of their opening night starting five.
Perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokić will be missing the game with a hyperextended left knee. Cameron Johnson (knee), Aaron Gordon (hamstring), and Christian Braun (ankle) are the other starters missing.
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Jamal Murray is the only starter who might play on Friday. He is currently listed as probable for Friday’s game as he’s dealing with a right ankle sprain.
Denver will also be without backup center Jonas Valanciunas (calf). This leaves them with a front-court rotation of just Payton Watson (whose natural position is guard), Specer Jones, Zeke Nnaji, and DaRon Holmes (who’s played just four NBA games in his career). This is something that the Cavs front court should be able to exploit.
Despite the injuries, the Nuggets have shown that they can be a worthy opponent. They’re coming off an impressive 106-103 win against the Toronto Raptors on New Year’s Eve.
Friday should be a good chance for them to keep their momentum going. Cleveland has played well in three of their last four outings. They showed something in the first three quarters in the Christmas Day loss to the New York Knicks and have backed it up with good play against the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns.
