The Denver Nuggets’ forwards seem to have an uncanny habit of getting hurt all at once — and it happened again in bizarre fashion on Sunday.
Entering the day with a fully healthy depth chart, Denver watched four of its top five forward options get ruled out with various injuries by the end of their 116-93 victory over the Golden State Warriors. The fifth forward played under a strict minutes restriction. It was yet another reminder of the team’s frustrating injury luck at the position, even as they secured their sixth straight win.
“There was a timeout where I just looked back at my day,” head coach David Adelman said. “I woke up this morning thinking Aaron Gordon was going to start.”
Instead, Gordon became the first to fall. He woke up with tightness in his left calf, and the Nuggets, determined to minimize risk to his calves and hamstrings ahead of the playoffs, made the precautionary decision to scratch him. Peyton Watson took his place in the starting lineup.
Watson, who has been limited to around 20 minutes per game since returning from a right hamstring strain, was not to be pushed beyond that limit. However, he picked up four fouls before halftime, putting himself in foul trouble early.
Then, backup forward Spencer Jones exited after the first quarter with right hamstring tightness of his own. Adelman had been using the rookie as a backup center recently, but to maintain defensive versatility in the second unit, he turned to Zeke Nnaji at the five during Nikola Jokić’s rest periods.
Starting small forward Cam Johnson headed to the locker room early in the third quarter, clutching the right side of his torso and wincing in pain. He was listed as questionable with back spasms. Suddenly, Nnaji had to slide over to power forward alongside Jokić, while Watson sat at just 16 minutes played.
Moments later, disaster struck again. Nnaji took an elbow to the face from Kristaps Porziņģis and landed awkwardly, exiting with left hip impingement. He left the arena on crutches, joining Johnson and Jones in the locker room.
In just a matter of hours, the Nuggets had gone from five healthy forwards to essentially half of one.
“It’s just been so funny this year has been like that,” Adelman said. “It’s never a guard and a forward, or a guard and a center. It’s like, it’s just the whole (position) group goes out.”
The silver lining: Cam Johnson could have returned but was held out as Denver built a comfortable lead, sparing him from pushing through the fourth quarter. The severity of the injuries to Johnson, Jones, and Nnaji remained unclear after the game.
“Players after those things always tell you they’re gonna be fine. But they’ll get a better look at them tomorrow,” Adelman added. “I didn’t get any information (on) if there’s any MRIs or X-Rays or anything.”
With almost no forwards left, Adelman was forced to improvise in the fourth quarter, starting Jonas Valančiūnas — who hadn’t played since March 18 after falling out of the rotation for five straight games — alongside four guards. Using zone defense, the Nuggets held their own for five minutes, outscoring the Warriors by two points before bringing Jokić and Watson back in. Golden State’s closest margin in the final frame was nine points.
Before his injury, Nnaji had a memorable moment off the court as well. He exchanged his headband for a hard hat after stepping up to defend teammate Jamal Murray following a minor altercation in the second quarter. Nnaji grabbed De’Anthony Melton’s jersey, prompting Gary Payton II to rip off Nnaji’s headband. All three players received technical fouls, resulting in a free throw for Denver. Adelman praised the 25-year-old for his enforcer role and consistent professionalism all season.
“Zeke has been so good this year in a role that could be very frustrating. He has been just a pro all year, the way he’s worked,” Adelman said. “You communicate with people daily when you have this job, and you’re making decisions about their life and their career. You can tell when someone means what they’re saying and when they don’t. Zeke has been nothing but honest all year about his approach. … He was very impactful. He was very good defensively. I was glad he stood up for his teammates. And it’s one of those things, you just feel bad for him. He finally gets a chance to play, and then he gets hurt.”
Despite the chaotic injury report, the Nuggets found a way to grind out the win and extend their winning streak to six games — a testament to their depth and resilience heading into the most critical stretch of the season.