On a 4-game winning streak with 8 wins in their last ten, the Denver Nuggets are in fine form heading into their game on Wednesday. The home team will take on the Rockets who sit two spots above them in the Western Conference. However, it seems Michael Malone and Co. will have to face the Houston side without their star, Nikola Jokic.

Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette reported that Nikola Jokic is OUT of tonight’s game! It seems the Joker injured his right elbow while warming up for the game against the Rockets. This will be the sixth game he has missed this season.

The 3x MVP, Jokic is averaging nearly a triple-double this season. With 30.6 points per game, 9.9 assists per game, and 13.2 rebounds per game, his absence will surely be felt by his team, as they go against one of the better sides in the Western Conference. Without the Serb, the Nuggets are 2-3 this season. A worrying sign for things to come?

However, if you thought that was the end of the Nuggets’ woes, you’re dead wrong! They have listed some notable absentees. So let’s see what the injury report submitted by both teams says. 

Denver Nuggets vs Houston Rockets – Detailed injury report

The Nuggets will miss more than just Nikola Jokic when they line up against the Rockets. They will have to play the second game tonight in their back-to-back without Aaron Gordon. He is OUT owing to his right calf injury and is being rested to avoid exacerbating the same. 

Youngsters PJ Hall and Spencer Jones are also OUT of the game with G League duties to fulfill. Vlatko Cancar remains OUT of the squad as he undergoes rehabilitation after having surgery on his left knee. The Nuggets don’t expect him back anytime soon. DaRon Holmes II is also OUT while he has his right Achilles tendon repaired. With a tough recovery ahead, it will be a while before we see him back on the court.

Luckily, the duo of Julian Strawther and Jamal Murray will be available for the Nuggets on Wednesday! They were both listed as PROBABLE in an earlier injury report.

On the other hand, the Rockets have also named a few players in their injury report, although none match the impact of a missing Jokic. N’Faly Dante and Jack McVeigh will be playing in the G League and are OUT of the upcoming game against Denver.

Aside from them, Tari Eason, Jock Landale, and Jabari Smith Jr. are all out of the upcoming game. They’ve cited personal reasons as to why Landale won’t play versus the Nuggets. Whereas Jabari Smith Jr. is recovering from a metacarpal fracture, he will be out for another month and a half. Tari Eason, like the Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon, is being rested to manage the injury in his lower left leg. 

With Denver missing arguably the best player in the world right now, do they have what it takes to beat the Rockets? Let us know what you think!