Is Jamal Murray playing tonight? Busy injury report for Nuggets on 2nd night of b2b

6:37 PM MT UPDATE - Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson, and Jonas Valanciunas have all been officially ruled OUT.

The Nuggets snapped their two-game losing streak on Thursday night with a 107-97 win in Washington. But they’ll be right back in action on Friday night in Milwaukee, and it might be smart to practice caution and get some players rest on the second night of yet another back-to-back.

Jamal Murray is the player who could likely most use a night off. He has fought valiantly to play every night and keep this team afloat, but now he’s apparently dealing with ankle, knee, and hamstring issues. He’s listed as questionable against the Bucks, and as much as he may want to push through, the Nuggets would be wise to play the long game and think about the bigger picture. 

They need Jamal fresh and healthy for the playoffs, and pushing him to play through injuries during a busy stretch of schedule in January doesn’t make a lot of sense.

The other notable Nuggets on the injury report for Friday night are Peyton Watson and Jonas Valanciunas, who are both questionable, like Jamal. Watson has been carrying the team along with Murray since Jokic has been out, but took multiple ugly falls on Thursday, and is now dealing with issues in both ankles.

Valanciunas finally made his return on Thursday night after an 11-game absence for a calf injury. He started and looked solid, but was on a minutes restriction and played just over 21 minutes. There’s no reason to push him, and managing the calf issue by avoiding the back-to-back may be the move for the veteran big man.

Jokic getting closer to return

Nikola Jokic, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun all remain out for the Nuggets on Friday night. Reports have been positive about Johnson and Jokic, who should both be back before long. Jokic was spotted doing some shooting work on the court in Washington on Thursday night, and this Monday will mark exactly four weeks from when he suffered his knee injury.

Johnson is also trending towards a return in early February, but Braun remains the big question mark. He returned from his sprained ankle, but after just three games, he was sent home from the team’s road trip and is now without a clear timetable to return. It doesn’t sound like he suffered a setback, but his ankle didn’t respond well.

The only other interesting note from the injury report is that Aaron Gordon is probable as he continues to manage his hamstring. He has looked good since returning, and it seems like he’ll play, but punting on this game and giving all the veterans a night off doesn’t seem like a bad option either.