Cameron Johnson Explains Hamstring Scare After Nuggets’ Win Over Raptors

Cameron Johnson stayed on the sideline after pulling up late in Monday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Denver Nuggets forward thought he had cramped up, but he wanted to see how his hamstring responded before saying much. By Wednesday night, he was back on the floor, scoring 12 points in a 128-109 win over the Toronto Raptors at Ball Arena.

“I figured it was a cramp,” Johnson said after the win. “You just want to make sure in those situations. You know, hamstrings, they get a little tricky sometimes, but I’m fine.”

The Nuggets listed Johnson as probable with lower-body injury management before the game. He played just under 30 minutes and went 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, accounting for four of Denver’s nine made 3-pointers.

The win moved the Nuggets to 4-3 and evened their home record at 2-2.

Johnson also had some fun with the dilemma Toronto faced against Nikola Jokić, who finished with 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Johnson joked that he kept telling his defender to double Jokić.

The invitation made sense coming from a shooter who was hitting half his attempts from deep. Staying home on Johnson left Jokić more room to work against a single defender. Sending help gave Jokić a clear outlet on the perimeter. 

The bigger change came on the other end. Denver trailed 67-64 at halftime, then won the third quarter 41-15. Johnson said the Nuggets had emphasized rebounding after the Portland loss and credited Christian Braun with setting the tone at the point of attack. Toronto missed 18 of its 23 shots in the third, giving Denver a chance to turn those stops into a lead its reserves could protect. 

Head coach David Adelman opened the second quarter with Johnson alongside Tyus Jones, Marvin Bagley III and rookies Bryce Hopkins and Trevon Brazile.

With DeMar DeRozan a late scratch, that group gave Adelman a way to keep a veteran shooter on the floor while Jones organized the offense. Hopkins went on to score a career-high 18 points, Jones handed out eight assists and Bagley added 10 points. 

Johnson pointed out that the offense works differently with Bagley at center than it does with Jokić. He said the group needs to get the ball to Bagley in spots where he’s comfortable and give Jones room to run the offense.

Johnson expects that to get easier as the group plays more minutes together. He also praised Hopkins’ ability to get to the basket and Brazile’s presence around the rim on both ends.

The Nuggets host Indiana on Saturday. For Johnson, the Toronto win offered a chance to see how his leg held up in a game and how he fit with a group Adelman is still sorting out. For Denver, it supplied a quarter worth building on.

Johnson put the next step plainly when asked about Braun and the team’s defensive effort. “It’s a little bit of progress, but we got to prove it again next game.”