UPDATE: Coach Malone doesn’t expect Jokic or Murray to play, while Gordon is expected to be available.
Nikola Jokic ($13,000; elbow/ankle), Jamal Murray ($7,800; ankle) and Aaron Gordon ($5,000; calf/ankle) are all listed questionable for Monday’s contest against the Golden State Warriors.
Jokic has missed five games this season. Three of those were in mid-November and the other two were in early January. Denver just played a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, a stretch in which Jokic played 38 and 39 minutes. There’s been no mention of when the elbow/ankle injuries occurred or the severity of them.
If Jokic is unable to go, then DeAndre Jordan ($3,000) would likely get dusted off while Zeke Nnaji ($3,330) could get more playing time.
With Jokic off the court this season, Russell Westbrook ($6,500) has seen the biggest usage rate bump of 7.59%.
Murray has been fantastic recently, putting up over 50 FPTS in two of the last five games. He’s playing close to 40 minutes. Unfortunately, he sprained his ankle during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game.
If Murray is unable to go, Westbrook would likely assume point guard duties behind Jokic, while Jalen Pickett ($3,200) could enter the starting lineup. If Mike Malone wants more length and defense, then Peyton Watson ($3,900) is a candidate to start.
Gordon has been in and out of the lineup recently due to a bevy of lower-body injuries. He’s missed six of the last eight games. He did play 32 minutes on Friday while sitting the second leg of a back-to-back on Saturday.
If Murray plays, then Westbrook would likely start for Gordon. Westbrook is already in the starting lineup due to Murray being out, then Nnaji would likely get the starting nod at power forward.
There is no back-to-back scenario for Denver on Monday, but it is the start of a four-game road trip against the Warriors, Lakers, Trail Blazers and Rockets. Golden State is currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference, Los Angeles is fifth and Houston is second. The second through fourth seeds all have an identical record at 43-25, while the sixth seed is only one game back. The probabilities of both Jokic and Murray sitting this week seem low.
