The wind was taken out of the sails of the Denver Nuggets on Friday against the New York Knicks when Jamal Murray left the game near the end of the first half. 

Murray was backpedaling on defense when he stepped on the foot of Nikola Jokic, twisting his ankle and going down. 

Murray was helped off the floor and did not return to the game. The Nuggets were down 63-52 at the time of Murray's injury. They would go on to lose 142-103, looking deflated and out of answers coming out of the locker room without their All-Star point guard. 

According to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post, "Multiple Nuggets sources were cautiously optimistic after the game Friday that Murray had suffered a more mild sprain, but the team was still waiting to get more thorough test results over the weekend, one source said.”

The Nuggets had Saturday and Sunday off, but will return to the floor on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder in what promises to be another physical battle between the two teams. 

No official update from the team has been given on Murray at the time of his writing.

He was said to be "questionable" to return against the Knicks, but ultimately did not check back into the game. 

The Nuggets are in a tight Western Conference battle for playoff positioning, fighting the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Lakers for spots three through six. 

Denver is fifth, a half game up on the Los Angeles Lakers, and a game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets. 

The Nuggets have the second toughest schedule remaining with 18 games left. They have two games against the top seeded Thunder and three games against the San Antonio Spurs, who are second in the West. They'll also play the Rockets and Lakers once each in important games for seeding. 

Denver has battled injury issues all season with Aaron Gordon playing in only 24 games, Cameron Johnson missing nearly half the season, Christian Braun playing in only 28 games, and Jokic missing a month of action. Peyton Watson, who has enjoyed a breakout season in part due to the injuries, is now sidelined with a hamstring injury that has already cost him a month.

Murray has been one of the healthier players for Denver, suiting up in 59 games. 

He's also been Denver's second best player this season, carrying the offense when Jokic missed a month. He's averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists with 25.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting a career high 48% from the field and 43% from three on 7.5 attempts per game. 

Without Murray, the Nuggets will have to rely even more on Jokic to carry the offense and create for others.