Cam Johnson is expected to sit again when the Denver Nuggets meet the Golden State Warriors on Monday, another hit to a Denver rotation that is already running thin.
Johnson missed Saturday’s overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans after spraining his ankle in the Nuggets’ season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On the NBA injury report, he is listed as doubtful for the matchup with Golden State. The veteran forward, who was efficient last season but also disappeared at times, appeared in only 54 games because of lingering knee and ankle injuries.
Denver’s depth chart is already taking damage elsewhere. Spencer Jones and Julian Strawther are both dealing with injuries they picked up before the season, leaving head coach David Adelman with even more pressure on his core players to stay available. Johnson is expected to use another day to recover, with the hope that he can make enough progress to be in better shape for Wednesday’s road game against the Pelicans.
The Nuggets also list free-agent addition Alpha Diallo as doubtful because of a wrist sprain.
Golden State has its own injury questions. Forward Gui Santos is questionable with left knee tendinitis, while guard Brandon Williams and center Charles Bassey are both probable as they deal with low back soreness and right patellar tendinopathy, respectively.
With both teams trying to rebound from disappointing finishes to the 2025-26 season, Adelman and Steve Kerr may need to lean harder on their benches than they’d like in this Mile High matchup. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray give Denver the kind of top-end punch that should help at Ball Arena, but Johnson’s status remains a key piece moving forward.
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