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The Denver Nuggets sit at the top of the Western conference and carry a four-game winning streak into Friday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. They also carry a few stars on the injury report, with big man Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray listed ahead of the contest. Here’s a look at their respective statuses.
Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray injury updates
Friday PM update: Murray is in for the Nuggets, which was expected. The point guard can get hot in a hurry if he finds his shot, which makes Denver an intriguing bet as a road underdog if people want to fade the Clippers. LA is a 5-point favorite despite Paul George sitting out, and we know Murray is going to take on a big role with Jokic out. It might be worth backing Denver to cover the spread.
Friday afternoon update: Jokic has been formally ruled out.
Friday afternoon update: According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Jokic is unlikely to play tonight against the Clippers. The oddsmakers had already listed the Clippers as favorites in anticipation of Jokic being out or limited, so this will further entrench LA as the favorite.
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic (wrist) is unlikely to play vs. the LA Clippers tonight (10 ET, ESPN), sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 13, 2023
Jokic is officially listed as questionable due to injury management. The Nuggets don’t have a game Saturday, so this isn’t about managing the big man on a back-to-back set. Over the last 20 games, Jokic is averaging 34.8 minutes per game. It’s not a huge workload but it is substantial enough to where the Nuggets don’t want to risk the reigning two-time MVP in a random January game.
Murray is listed as probable due to an ankle injury. He’s expected to suit up, so fantasy/DFS users can back him in this contest.