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Denver Nuggets G/F Will Barton is unlikely to return from injury during the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday. Barton has been sidelined since the beginning of the restart due to a knee injury. He is still rehabbing the knee, per Shams.
The Nuggets dropped Game 2 of the conference finals on Sunday night on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Anthony Davis. Denver is now in a 2-0 hole in the series and it will be tough to climb out against LeBron James and the Lakers. So with the season somewhat in the balance heading into a crucial Game 3, the Nuggets aren’t expecting to get Barton back in the lineup. It’s bee unfortunate. Barton was one of the Nuggets’ top scorers during the regular season and would be a nice compliment on offense to Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.