The Denver Nuggets head to Memphis on Wednesday night with a rare luxury: a short injury report.
After a loss to the Houston Rockets, Denver is looking to get back on track against a Grizzlies team that opened the season with six straight wins before dropping three of its last four. Even with Memphis settling back down a bit, this is still a tricky road test - but the Nuggets enter it in better shape than they usually do.
Denver listed just one player on its injury report: Julian Strawther. He has not played yet this season, and that absence will stretch to a tenth game on Wednesday. For a Nuggets team that has spent much of the year dealing with health issues, simply having one name on the report is a welcome change.
That’s a sharp contrast from earlier in the season, when Cameron Johnson, DeMar DeRozan, Spencer Jones, and Alpha Diallo had all already dealt with injuries. Before the last game, even the entire starting lineup was working through various hiccups.
The Nuggets had that same available group in the loss to Houston and leaned heavily on a bench unit of Tyus Jones, DeMar DeRozan, Spencer Jones, Trevon Brazile, and Marvin Bagley III. Two-way rookie Bryce Hopkins also saw limited minutes. A similar rotation is likely again in Memphis.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, have a few injury concerns of their own. Scotty Pippen Jr. and Isaiah Stewart are both dealing with issues that could affect Memphis’ bench, though the team has been surprisingly deep so far. Stewart is listed as questionable with a right knee bone bruise.
On the floor, Memphis has been driven by Ty Jerome, who is averaging 26.7 points per game, while third-overall pick Cameron Boozer has made an immediate impact early in his NBA career. The Grizzlies’ 7-3 start through 10 games has backed up the idea that this is a more dangerous team than many expected.
Denver will also have to deal with a Memphis team that is coming off a road win over the Toronto Raptors. It’s a game the Nuggets can win, and one they should feel good about on paper, but they’ll still need to avoid a letdown.
Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. MT in Memphis.
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Jamal Murray was at the center of it, scoring 30 points despite spending time in foul trouble, while Nikola Jokic did his usual all-around heavy lifting. For a team trying to show it can handle pressure away from home, this was the sort of win that can carry real weight, even if one of the biggest takeaways still leaves room for more to come. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Suddenly Have A Real Aaron Gordon Minutes Problem
Aaron Gordons early-season offensive struggles have put the Nuggets in an awkward spot, because his role has been too important to simply ignore. Through Denvers first 10 games, he has not been finishing the way the team needs, and the recent scoring dip has only sharpened the conversation around how much he should be on the floor while he works through it.
That opens the door for Trevon Brazile to matter more, at least in the short term, as Denver looks for a way to keep the frontcourt productive without overextending Gordon. Head coach David Adelman has not settled on any rotation change yet, which leaves the Nuggets balancing patience with the need to get more reliable minutes from that spot. [Read more 🡒]