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Denver Nuggets: How each unit of the bench mob is keeping NBA Finals hopes alive

By Alex Murray

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 01: PJ Dozier #35 of the Denver Nuggets handles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on April 01, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 01: PJ Dozier #35 of the Denver Nuggets handles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on April 01, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /
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Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

Apart from a 10-game absence from Michael Porter Jr. in January due to a positive COVID-19 test, the Denver Nuggets had been healthy as an ox all season—until April hit.

First, it was Jamal Murray, Denver’s second-best player and one of the most exciting young guards in the league, who went down with a season-ending ACL tear that could keep him sidelined for a portion of next season as well.

After the Blue Arrow went out of commission, who were the first two guards you thought of to pick up his slack? Will Barton and Monte Morris, right? Well, that was the plan until not one, but both of the so-called ‘next men up’ came down with significant injuries of their own.

Neither suffered anything like a torn ACL or anything of the sort, but they are still expected to miss serious time. When asked last Monday by the Denver Post’s Mike Singer about Morris’ timetable, head coach Mike Malone said that while it’s just a hamstring strain, not a tear, “I don’t know for sure … me, personally, I don’t think he’s going to be back for a little while.”

Barton, for his part, also remains without a timetable to return as he deals with a hamstring strain as well. According to Singer, league sources told the Denver Post on Saturday that Will the Thrill is expected to miss the next several games at the very least. Barton also told Malone that he heard a “pop” in his hamstring, per Singer.

With Denver’s top three guards out for the foreseeable future, the Nuggets will need to lean on the big three of Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. In the meantime, PJ Dozier and Facundo Campazzo have slotted into the starting lineup, and the results have not been too shabby.

In eight games without Murray, Denver is 7-1, they’re 5-1 since Morris went down, and they’re 3-0 since Barton got hurt. So, the question is: How has Denver’s Bench Mob picked up the slack and how can they keep the team and fanbase’s title hopes alive?

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