The Denver Nuggets will travel to Paycom Center on Friday to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, and come into the game with a win over the Boston Celtics. The Thunder lost to Cade Cunningham's Detroit Pistons last time out, but are counting on the return of powerhouse Shai Gilgeous-Alexander himself.
The same can't entirely be said for Jamal Murray, who is listed as questionable on the official injury report. Murray is dealing with a serious illness that forced him out of Wednesday's win over the Boston Celtics.
And while the Nuggets are short on personnel, the same is true for the defending champions. Despite SGA being removed from the injured list, Jalen Williams, Thomas Sorber, Brandon Carlson and Ajay Mitchell are out.
*Watch NBA Games Live with fuboTV (Free Trial)*
Jamal Murray's injury status vs. Thunder
The Nuggets will hope that Murray can fight the disease. Murray lasted just eight minutes and scored two points, before being shut down completely for the evening.
After the win, Nuggets head coach David Edelman painted a grim picture of his point guard's health, revealing that the team medical staff had aggressively treated the illness before the game, but to no avail. Edelman said, "He looked terrible. They gave him all the medications. It didn't help. All kinds of physical things were happening."
Murray averaged 25.1 points, 7.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game, while shooting a highly efficient 48.3% from the field and 42.1% from 3-point range. Plus, the nuggets are already spread thin.
They will be without Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, both of whom are out with right hamstring strains, and join players like Tamar Bates and Curtis Jones. Meanwhile, Spencer Jones and Jalen Pickett are listed as questionable, while Julian Strother is likely to play despite a sprained toe.
nuggets injury report
Jamal Murray: Questionable (illness)
Spencer Jones: Questionable (right shoulder strain)
Jalen Pickett: Questionable (right knee soreness)
Julian Strother: Probable (left big toe sprain)
Aaron Gordon: Out (right hamstring strain)
Peyton Watson: Out (right hamstring strain)
Tamar Bates: Out (left foot surgery)
Curtis Jones: Out (G League - Two-Way)
thunderbolt injury report
Thomas Sorber: Out (right ACL surgical recovery)
Ajay Mitchell: Out (abdominal strain/left ankle sprain)
Jalen Williams: Out (right hamstring strain)
Brandon Carlson: Out (low back strain)
