Nuggets: Injury Report, Possible Line-up, Depth Chart, Stats, and More Ahead of Game 1 vs Lakers

Despite not performing as well as they did last season, the Los Angeles Lakers have managed to secure a spot in the Play-In series. Thanks to a 4-point win against the Pelicans. Now, however, one of the best-performing franchises of the season stands between their championship chances: the Denver Nuggets. Even though they possess an 8-2 record against their rivals, the Nuggets will not be leaving anything to chance during this crucial stage and will look to utilize their offensive lineup to its full potential.

A few hours ago, NBA reporter Harrison Wind took to his official X account to share an update from the Nuggets’ recently released Injury Report. According to it, no single player from the roster, except for Slovenian player Vlatko Čančar, has been listed on the report till now. This means that the entire main lineup would be present to host the 2020 NBA champions at the Ball Arena in Colorado.

There was some doubts about the availability of star player and lead scorer Nikola Jokic. During his 79 appearances this season, he managed to average a score of 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9 assists. For the past few days, however, the Joker was present on the Injury Report courtesy of a left hip inflammation. A similar situation was being faced by point guard Jamal Murray, who was suffering an inflammation in his right knee. Since the duo are the only Nuggets players who have managed to average 20+ points per game till now, their presence for the playoffs was a must.

Other Nuggets players who were listed on the Injury Report last week but have now been cleared include Michael Porter, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson, and Zeke Nnaji.

While the situation for the 2 seeding Western Conference team seems to be all dandy, the same cannot be said for their rivals. According to the Lakers Injury Report, lead scorers LeBron James and Anthony Davis once again find themselves to be listed. Given that their status is highlighted as ‘probable’, however, there is a good chance that the golden duo would be present during the Nuggets clash. Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Cam Reddish have all been declared out of the main lineup. Wood and Reddish have together averaged just 12.3 points. Therefore, it wouldn’t be hard for the other offensive players to cover for the players.

How would the Starting Lineup and the Depth Chart for the Nuggets-Lakers clash look like?

It’s often rare to see a fully healthy roster present during the late stages of the NBA season. Then again, it is the playoffs, the series where one slight mistake or mishap can mean all the difference between progress and elimination. By running on a 57-25 record, the Nuggets have already created an assumption of what could be achieved with their full main lineup behind them. After the update from the recently released injury report, the starting lineup is expected to look something like this:

The Lakers are in a more precarious position, but still better off than some of their previous moments during the regular season. Their starting lineup is expected to look something like this:

Despite the earlier speculation that the Lakers would choose to back out of a clash with the Nuggets, they are going full steam ahead. Do you think that LeBron James and Co will manage to break off their losing streak? Or will Nikola Jokic and his players continue to build up their momentum? Let us know in the comments down below.