Denver continues to deal with some tough injury issues that have plagued them for the past month.
The Denver Nuggets have listed four players on the injury report heading into Thursday's game against the Orlando Magic, and the two questionable tags are the ones to watch closely.
Peyton Watson is listed as questionable with a right trunk contusion he suffered during Monday's overtime win over Houston.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is also questionable due to illness after logging a season-high 40 minutes in that same game.
If both Watson and Hardaway are unable to go, Denver would be very thin on the wing and Bruce Brown could see a big bump in playing time as a potential starter.
Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun remain out with their respective hamstring and ankle injuries, but those absences are nothing new for Denver at this point.
The bigger question is whether Watson and Hardaway can suit up since both have been key contributors with the other guys sidelined.
Watson has been starting in Gordon's spot and has shown flashes of his two-way potential, while Hardaway has reached double figures in nine straight games and has provided much-needed bench scoring. Losing either one of them would make things tough against a solid Magic team.
Denver Keeps Rolling Despite the Injuries
Even with all the injuries, Denver sits at 19-6 on the season which is good for second place in the Western Conference and represents the best start in franchise history.
The Nuggets are averaging a league-best 125.6 points per game and their offense has been nearly unstoppable.
Nikola Jokic is putting together another MVP-level season, averaging 29.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 10.8 assists per game while shooting 61.3 percent from the field.
He already has 12 triple-doubles on the year.
Jamal Murray has been excellent alongside Jokic as well, putting up 24.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game which are all career-high marks for the guard.
Murray has been on a tear lately, scoring 30 or more points in four of his last eight games and shooting over 44% from three-point range on the season.
When these two are clicking, Denver is almost impossible to stop.
Orlando Comes to Town Banged Up Too
The Magic are dealing with their own injury problems as they begin a four-game road trip out West.
Orlando has listed five players on the injury report, including star guard Jalen Suggs who is out with a hip injury he picked up in their last game against the Knicks in the NBA Cup semifinal.
Franz Wagner remains out with a high ankle sprain and is not expected back until after the new year, while Moritz Wagner is still recovering from torn ACL surgery he had back in January.
Tristan da Silva is questionable with a right shoulder contusion and Colin Castleton is out with a thumb injury.
Despite all the injuries, Orlando sits at 15-11 and holds fifth place in the Eastern Conference thanks to the play of Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane.
Banchero is averaging 20.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game after missing time earlier in the season with a groin strain.
Bane has stepped up in a big way since being traded from Memphis in the offseason, putting up 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
He has given Orlando the shot-making they needed.
How Denver Can Beat the Magic
The path to victory for Denver is pretty simple given how good their offense has been this season. The Nuggets need to let Jokic do what he does best by controlling the game through his passing and scoring.
If they can get Murray going early then the Magic will have a hard time keeping up.
Denver is averaging 29.4 assists per game and shooting 40 percent from three as a team, so if they move the ball and make shots they should be able to outscore Orlando.
On the other end, the Nuggets need to find a way to slow down Bane and Banchero since those two will carry most of the offensive load for the Magic without Suggs and Wagner available.
Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET at Ball Arena.