After the comprehensive win over the Heat on Nikola Jokic’s comeback game, the Denver Nuggets have a fresh challenge. The Mile-High City will face the Orlando Magic for the first time this season. Both teams have gone through significant turmoils throughout the season. Especially with the Florida side, the team faced a major chunk of their games without their top two offensive leaders. Now that, Paolo Banchero has returned to the mix, the Magic are desperate to get back on top.

Can the Nuggets withstand the Magic’s firepower? Well, only time will tell. Before they lock horns, let’s look at the factors that will influence the game’s result. Firstly, let’s look at the Nuggets’ injury report. The team has a major setback, as the team has listed Jokic in the Probable category, citing the elbow injury. The star had sustained this injury during a practice ahead of Wednesday’s Rockets game. While he missed the game against H-Town which the team lost embarrassingly, he returned for the Heat game.

Up until now, the team has a 2-4 record in the absence of Joker. So, the Magic can capitalize on the situation and end their two-game losing streak. Moreover, the team has also listed Aaron Gordon in the Probable category, citing a calf injury. Apart from the duo, the team listed out: Vlatko Cancar and DaRon Holmes II.

On the other hand, the Orlando Magic has a pretty lengthy injury report. This has been the case for the Magic throughout the season, as the team continued to lose players to injuries. However, the times never seemed to be changing. Franz Wagner, who suffered an oblique injury, is finally nearing his return. The latest report suggested that the team was hopeful that Wagner would return to action in 7-10 days. Here’s the list of other injured players:

• Jalen Suggs (Back) – Out
• Jett Howard (Ankle) – Questionable
• Gary Haris (Hamstring) – Out
• Goga Bitadze (Concussion) -Out
• Moritz Wagner (ACL) – Out

Nikola Jokic & Co. vs the Magic: Starting Lineup and Depth Chart

Without Nikola Jokic, the team might look out of place and the team’s offensive rating without him has considerably dropped. So, the Nuggets have to be careful while facing a highly defense-dominant team like the Magic. Nevertheless, with Russell Westbrook, finding his lost form in Denver, it will be an added advantage for the team to find a backup all-round playmaker.

The Denver Nuggets

The Orlando Magic

In the case of the Magic, Banchero needs to step up and take the responsibility on his shoulder. Will the Magic end their losing streak, beating the Nuggets tonight? Let us know in the comments below.