The Denver Nuggets will continue to play shorthanded against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday
The Denver Nuggets enter Sunday's NBA slate with one of the best records in the league at 16-6. Fueled by an MVP-caliber season from Nikola Jokic to start, plus Jamal Murray looking to make his case for his first All-Star appearance, the Nuggets have been playing the past few games without key members of their starting lineup.
Currently 2-0 on their four-game road trip, the Nuggets begin the second leg in Charlotte on Sunday, facing a Hornets team that has struggled as of late with a 2-8 record in their past 10 games. However, they are coming off a big win over the Toronto Raptors, so they'll look to ride that momentum into Sunday night's game.
Nuggets Injury Report
As mentioned, the Nuggets have continued to battle injuries to key players to begin the season, and that remains the same on Sunday.
Christian Braun (ankle), Aaron Gordon (hamstring), and Julian Strawther (back) are all listed as OUT for Denver.
While Strawther doesn't see the same amount of action as Braun and Gordon, it's still an injury to a player who likely could be seeing action right now, given guard depth. As for Braun and Gordon, it will be their 12th and 8th straight missed games, respectively.
Before going down with an injury, Gordon was on track to have his best season with the Nuggets through 13 games, averaging 18.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and shooting 53.2% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. He opened the season hot with a 50-point game, and his absence from Denver's defense is noticeable.
As for Braun, the start to the 2025-26 season hasn't been kind to him, averaging just 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 21.4% from three, in comparison to 39.7% the year prior. After giving him an extension this offseason, the Nuggets will hope he can start to turn things around once he returns.
Hornets Injury Report and Game Preview
For the Hornets' injuries, LaMelo Ball (ankle), Josh Green (shoulder), Pat Connaughton (calf), Tre Mann (knee), Collin Sexton (quad), and Grant Williams (knee) are all listed as OUT for Charlotte.
A lot of key players are out for the Hornets, but they've been able to get strong production from Miles Bridges, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller, who are all AVAILABLE for the Hornets Sunday.
Tip-off in Charlotte is set for 6:00 p.m. EST, as the Nuggets will look to improve to 17-6 heading into the final game of their road trip.