The Denver Nuggets handled their business against the Indiana Pacers in Mexico City, but getting to their next game became a much bigger problem. Aircraft issues disrupted Denver’s departure after Saturday’s victory, turning a scheduled trip to Houston into an exhausting travel ordeal. Now, the uncertainty extends beyond the flight itinerary and onto the injury report.
Denver could head into Monday’s game against Houston without several familiar faces. All five starters, including Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun, are questionable. DeMar DeRozan is on that list, too, leaving the Nuggets waiting to see how much of their regular rotation can suit up.
According to reporting from The Denver Gazette, citing Altitude Sports broadcaster Katy Winge, the team reportedly eventually departed Mexico City on Sunday afternoon. The flight delay ended, but the disruption to their preparation did not disappear with it.
Nuggets’ Travel Problems Complicate Rockets Preparation
Denver reached the airport Saturday night but remained aboard its aircraft into the early hours of Sunday before returning to a hotel. ESPN reported that the Nuggets canceled Monday’s shootaround following the travel problems. What should have been recovery time instead became hours of waiting and uncertainty.
That does not mean the plane issues caused every injury on Denver’s report. Jokic is listed with a right elbow sprain, while Murray has a left shin contusion. Gordon and Johnson carry lower-body injury management designations, Braun has a calf contusion and illness, and DeRozan is dealing with back spasms.
Questionable also does not mean those players have been ruled out. Their final availability will determine how dramatically Denver must adjust. Until those decisions arrive, treating the report as confirmation of mass absences would get ahead of the facts.
Nikola Jokic’s Status Creates Denver’s Biggest Question
The larger concern is how much Denver can reasonably ask of its core after such an unsettled night. Even if the starters play, the Nuggets will enter with their preparation altered. Availability and readiness are related questions, but they are not identical.
If Jokic or Murray sits, Denver would need different answers for initiating its offense. If several starters are unavailable, the challenge becomes broader than replacing one scorer. The coaching staff would have to redistribute ball-handling, defensive assignments and minutes throughout the lineup.
Denver won the basketball game in Mexico City. The challenge now is keeping the trip’s aftermath from following the Nuggets onto the floor in Houston.
Nuggets’ Mexico City Trip Takes Troubling Turn With Nikola Jokic Among 6 Questionable