The Denver Nuggets will look to continue building on their impressive start to the 2018-19 NBA season Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Unfortunately, they’ll do so without point guard Jamal Murray, who’ll miss his second consecutive game due to an ankle injury. While the Nuggets have won four of their previous five, they head on the road for this matchup.
Currently, Denver holds the No. 2 spot in a crowded Western Conference with a 33-15 record, behind only the 35-14 Golden State Warriors. The Nuggets hold a solid edge over the third-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who enter the day 2.5 games behind them in the standings. The team’s success has largely been fueled by the play of Nikola Jokic, who’s put up exceptional numbers this season.
Jokic has been especially good through the month of January, posting averages of 25.5 points, 12.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists while shooting 52.4 percent from the field. With Murray sitting Monday’s game out, he’ll be tasked with carrying a slightly larger offensive workload against the Grizzlies.
Let’s take a look at the latest on Murray’s injury as well as the Nuggets roster and starting lineup.
Latest on Jamal Murray Injury
Murray missed Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to an injured left ankle which apparently hasn’t improved enough for him to return to action. Ahead of Monday’s game, Nuggets coach Mike Malone addressed Murray’s injury but didn’t provide much optimism in terms of a quick return.
Via The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider:
Here’s what Michael Malone said this morning when asked for an update on Jamal Murray, who will miss his second straight game tonight with an injured left ankle.
It sounds as though Murray, who’s currently averaging 18.5 points, 4.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game, could miss the Nuggets’ current road trip. After a date with the Grizzlies, they’ll head to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Wednesday before heading home to meet James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Nuggets Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Grizzlies
| Position | Expected Starter | Backup | |
| Center | Nikola Jokic | Mason Plumlee | |
| Power Forward | Paul Millsap | Juancho Hernangomez | Tyler Lydon |
| Small Forward | Torrey Craig | Trey Lyles | |
| Shooting Guard | Gary Harris | Malik Beasley | Brandon Goodwin |
| Point Guard | Will Barton | Monte Morris |
The Nuggets rolled out this lineup in their last game, a 126-110 win over the injury-plagued Sixers. Jokic was dominant in every sense of the word in that game, scoring 32 points with 18 rebounds and 10 assists in 34 minutes. Mason Plumlee chipped in 17 points off the bench while Will Barton, who started for Murray, totaled 16 points with four rebounds in 26 minutes.
Due to the game getting somewhat out of hand, the starters played a few minutes less than expected, but it’s worth noting that Monte Morris (27) and Malik Beasley (20) saw decent run. Morris is the primary backup and should again see 25-28 minutes while both Barton and shooting guard Gary Harris could see minutes close to 30, assuming they have no restrictions.
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Nuggets Roster & Lineup vs. Grizzlies; Latest on Jamal Murray Injury