The Nuggets have lost their second center in as many games after Wednesday's 106-103 win over the Toronto Raptors. 

Jonas Valanciunas had big shoes to fill coming into his first start of the season. The Nuggets had just lost Nikola Jokic the game before to a hyperextended knee that will keep the three-time MVP sidelined for at least four weeks, which meant Valanciunas was next up in line on the depth chart.

The veteran Lithuanian center was rising to the occasion in the unfortunate circumstances. By the third quarter he'd already logged 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists in just 23 minutes played and it looked the void left by Jokic wasn't going to be so bad as long as Valanciunas was there to pick up the slack.

That's when tragedy struck. Valanciunas limped off the court late in the third quarter and didn't return to the game. The Nuggets later confirmed that he suffered a calf strain and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

"They said it's a calf strain. I don't know how serious it is," Nuggets head coach David Adelman said (via BasketNews). "We're getting used to this; it seems every night someone has something. The cool thing about it is there is somebody else to get an opportunity from it, and that's how we have to look at it."

The loss of Valanciunas is just the latest in a Denver season that's been battered by injuries. The Nuggets have been without the majority of their initial starting lineup for weeks as Jokic, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson are all suffering from injuries of varying severity. 

Denver's depth has been severely tested in the face of these maladies and the loss of Valanciunas makes things even more difficult. 

Adelman has already spoken about experimenting with different lineups and playing his team out of position to try and find a formula that lets his team at least survive games, let alone win them, and he'll have to keep experimenting while he's left with less and less to work with. 

Spencer Jones and Peyton Watson have already been relied on more heavily and they'll likely have even more responsibilities now that is more strapped for size than ever before. 

For Valanciunas, who's been having a quiet yet dependable year as a bench option in his 14th season, his frustration at the situation is overwhelming. 

"I got injured, not good, brother," Valanciunas said. "What am I going to say? Am I happy? No, I'm f***ing injured."