Nuggets face mounting injury crisis as Jonas Valančiūnas joins sidelined stars.
The Denver Nuggets just can't catch a break right now.
After losing star center Nikola Jokić to a hyperextended left knee earlier this week, the team announced Thursday that backup center Jonas Valančiūnas will also be sidelined for at least four weeks due to a right calf strain.
Valančiūnas suffered the injury during Wednesday night's 106-103 win over the Toronto Raptors (20-15), a game where the 14-year veteran was filling in as the starting center with Jokić already out.
The Nuggets (23-10) managed to escape with the victory, but the cost may have been too high.
Valančiūnas Was Having a Big Game Before Getting Hurt
The Lithuanian big man was putting together one of his best performances of the season before going down.
In 23 minutes of action, Valančiūnas finished with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, along with nine rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three blocks.
He was declared questionable to return during the game and ultimately did not come back.
Valančiūnas has been a reliable presence off the bench for Denver this season, averaging 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game across 18 appearances.
His role was supposed to grow a lot with Jokić out, but now the Nuggets will have to find another answer.
Denver Is Dealing With an Injury Crisis
The timing of this injury could not be worse for head coach David Adelman and the Nuggets.
Denver is currently in the middle of a seven-game Eastern Conference road trip, and they're doing it without most of their key players.
Aaron Gordon has been out with a right hamstring strain, while Christian Braun is sidelined with a left ankle sprain.
Cameron Johnson is dealing with a right knee contusion that will keep him out for 4-to-6 weeks, and even star point guard Jamal Murray showed up on the injury report for Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For those keeping count, all five of Denver's opening-night starters have now appeared on the injury report at some point recently.
What's Next for the Nuggets?
With both Jokić and Valančiūnas out, Denver will have to rely on DaRon Holmes II and Zeke Nnaji to handle minutes at center.
Neither player has seen a ton of action this season, but the Nuggets don't have much choice right now.
Despite all the injuries, Denver has managed to stay near the top of the Western Conference standings at 23-10, good for third place.
The Nuggets have gone 18-6 when five or more players score in double figures, showing that the team has found ways to win games even when key pieces are missing.
Peyton Watson has stepped into the starting lineup during this stretch and played well, scoring a team-high 24 points in the win over Toronto.
Looking Ahead
The Nuggets continue their road trip Friday night in Cleveland against the Cavaliers.
The good news is that head coach David Adelman has said that Gordon and Braun could potentially return during the back end of this road trip, which would provide some much-needed relief.
For now, though, the Nuggets are facing one of the toughest stretches of their season at the worst possible time.
Without their three-time MVP and now his backup, Denver will need everyone to step up if they want to stay in contention.