When the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers were first locked into a first-round battle, every NBA fan knew sparks were going to fly. You’ve got MVPs, All-Stars, trash talkers, sharpshooters — all jammed into one high-stakes series. And boy, has it delivered. The stars have shown flashes, the benches have brawled for every rebound, and the momentum? It’s been swinging faster than a wrecking ball at a construction site.

Now, after three intense games, we’re heading into a critical Game 4, and it feels like everything is about to tip over. The biggest question hanging in the air right now? Whether Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets’ key floor-stretcher and silent killer, will even be able to suit up for Game 4. And honestly, it’s not looking great.

MPJ’s Status Looms Large Over Game 4

According to ESPN’s Marc J Spears, the Nuggets are seriously banged up. “[Michael Porter Jr.] may not play Saturday, [Jamal Murray’s] hurting, [Russell Westbrook] is hurting, Aaron [Gordon] told me he can barely jump right now,” Spears said on NBA Today. Yikes. MPJ is still nursing a painful Grade 2 shoulder sprain that’s limited him to about “20-30 percent” of his full strength. And it showed: in Game 3, he gutted through 35 minutes but shot just 2-for-9 from the field.

Interim head coach David Adelman was blunt when he spoke about MPJ’s importance. “If Mike’s available, he’s going to play,” Adelman said. “He stretches the floor. He didn’t shoot the ball well yesterday, but we need Michael’s presence.” Porter’s ability to draw defenders out to the perimeter unlocks so much for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray — without him, Denver’s offense can look like it’s dragging a piano uphill.

But it’s not just MPJ. Russell Westbrook is also listed as questionable with foot inflammation. He only played nine minutes in Game 3 before sitting out the second half entirely. Adelman kept it simple: “He’s still questionable. We’ll kind of gauge that as we go.” No Westbrook means Denver could be scrambling to patch up backcourt minutes against a Clippers team that smells blood.

Meanwhile, the Clippers’ injury report? Completely clean. Not a single player listed. Talk about bad timing for Denver.

All these injuries aren’t just making Denver thin — they’re forcing a major shift in strategy. Through three games, the Clippers have made it their personal mission to swarm Jokic and Murray, daring the Nuggets’ supporting cast to beat them. In Game 3, that gamble paid off massively. Los Angeles role players like Nicolas Batum, Derrick Jones Jr., Norman Powell, and Kris Dunn caught fire from three-point range while Harden and Leonard coasted in second gear.

“They’re both shooting under 50 percent, and they absolutely blew us out,” Adelman admitted. “It shows you if you dictate to people, they have to take what you give them. And what we gave them was their role players shooting threes — and they made shots.“

Denver? Not so lucky. The Nuggets’ usual off-ball magic — Braun cutting, Porter popping out for threes, Gordon slashing — has been smothered. The Clippers have clogged the paint, daring Denver’s wings to space out properly and launch shots. Adelman even pointed out that Denver got “impatient” trying to force the action inside, which led to collapsed spacing and ugly possessions.

In other words, without MPJ at full strength, and without Westbrook potentially in the lineup at all, Denver might have to entirely rethink their approach to stay alive in this series.

Nuggets’ Internal Frustrations Boil Over

And if you’re wondering how the Nuggets are handling all this internally? Not great. Talking about Game 3, Adelman didn’t sugarcoat anything. “We sucked,” he said bluntly. “We were not physical. I thought our engagement was very individually based. It wasn’t team engaged.” That’s about as brutally honest as you’ll hear from a coach during the playoffs.

The players owned up to it in their own way, but the reality remains: the Clippers are dictating the terms of this series now. If MPJ can’t go — or if he plays but isn’t anywhere close to 100 percent — Denver could find itself staring at a 3-1 hole by Saturday night.

Here’s the thing about Michael Porter Jr.: toughness has never been his problem. He’s battled through more back surgeries than most players could even dream of, and this season alone, he’s played through bumps and bruises most fans never even heard about. Adelman praised him for it, saying, “Mike’s one that I don’t think gets enough credit for how tough he is … his pain threshold is something that people don’t understand.”

But courage doesn’t heal a Grade 2 shoulder sprain. And right now, every possession matters. If MPJ’s at 30 percent and can’t shoot confidently, it may end up hurting the Nuggets more than helping them. Because Game 4 isn’t just another playoff battle anymore — it’s a full-blown test of survival for the defending champs. Michael Porter Jr.’s status looms over everything, and Denver’s already battered rotation can’t afford to take another hit.

If MPJ can suit up and find a way to gut it out, it’ll be one of the grittiest playoff performances we’ve seen all year. But if he’s sidelined, the Clippers might just run away with this series before Denver ever gets a chance to recover.

Buckle up, because no matter what happens tonight, Game 4 is about to get wild.