Perhaps Michael Malone and the Nuggets have learned from the error of their ways last season as they’ve ruled out Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray for Monday night. In terms of the Western Conference standings, it’s a huge game as their in Golden State taking on a surging Warriors team that sits in seventh place, but just 3.5 games back of Denver.
In theory, it would be great for the Nuggets to have their stars available for this game, but at what cost? We’ve seen the team struggling badly recently and Michael Malone is putting major miles on his star players.
They’re in a three-way tie for the second seed in the West with the Grizzlies and Rockets at 43-25, and things are so tight they could fall to the play-in tournament with a bad week or two. But seeding and standings mean nothing if the Nuggets wear themselves out getting there.
Last season, the Nuggets went all out down the stretch to chase the one seed and it cost them as Jamal Murray got injured and the team looked gassed as they fell to the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals.
Jokic out with ankle/elbow issues, Murray out with ankle
While I’m sure Jokic and Murray aren’t 100%, I’m confident they could play if this was a playoff game. They both played in all of the team’s recent games despite being listed on the injury report with these same ailments.
Murray rolled his ankle in the closing minutes of the game on Saturday, but he returned and played the final moments - including hitting a game-tieing shot with 5 seconds remaining. But both players need rest and Malone can’t run these guys into the ground.
Without Murray and Jokic at full strength, the Nuggets have no chance of making any noise in the playoffs. As much as it would be nice to have homecourt advantage, health and freshness are paramount.
The Nuggets would obviously rather avoid the play-in tournament, but beyond that, they shouldn’t care too much about seeding. Matchups are far more important anyway, and with the crowded race shaking out, the seeding and matchups can change on a daily basis.
As long as Denver can make it to the dance in good shape, they’ve got a fighting chance. But if Jokic and Murray are compromised in any way, it’s going to be an uphill battle. It’s painful seeing those guys miss a marquee national TV game against a premier opponent, it’s in the Nuggets’ best long-term interest.
Stephen Curry was listed as questionable with a back injury, but he has been cleared to play and will be available for the Warriors.