It has been an injury-riddled season for Jamal Murray. Only a couple of weeks ago, he missed two straight games, against the Warriors and Lakers, dealing with a right ankle sprain. He made a comeback in Portland but looked completely out of rhythm, finishing with only ten points. It wasn’t until last weekend’s Rockets clash that he regained his form and went off for 39 points. Unfortunately, just four games into his return, Murray was back on the sidelines with a different issue. And that trend continues tonight as the Nuggets face the Timberwolves.

Yes, Murray will not suit up against the Minnesota team. Reason? Right hamstring tightness that also forced him to miss Friday’s Jazz encounter. He was initially listed as questionable for tonight but has been downgraded to out just hours before tip-off.

As per reports, Jamal is making decent progress in his recovery and was able to participate in Monday’s practice. However, Michael Malone revealed that it was light practice. So, it is still unclear when the star guard will return to the lineup. His next chance to suit up will be tomorrow against the Spurs.

Obviously, Murray’s absence is a huge blow because he has been the Nuggets’ second superstar alongside Nikola Jokic, averaging 21.6 points and six assists. Also, tonight’s game is extremely crucial for them. That’s because they are only one win ahead of the Lakers and a loss could put them at risk of losing their third seed.

With Jamal unavailable, Russell Westbrook could take his starting spot. The former MVP has been an incredible backup guard for the Nuggets, averaging 13.2 points and over six assists. While they deal with this major setback, the Timberwolves will also be missing multiple key players as consequence of Sunday’s actions.

Timberwolves set to miss 2 key players in Denver after heated physical altercation vs Pistons

Well, things got heated in Minnesota when the home team hosted the Pistons on Sunday. During the second quarter, players were constantly chirping and going at each other. But the situation escalated when Ron Holland hard fouled Naz Reid during a drive to the basket. Sure enough, Reid was not pleased and charged toward the Pistons star exchanging some words. Then, Donte DiVincenzo entered the mix and got into a shoving match with Holland. It led to an all-out brawl between both teams.

As a result, five players and two coaches—Detroit’s JB Bickerstaff and Minnesota’s Pablo Prigioni were ejected from the game. But an altercation of this magnitude was bound to have more consequences. Upon further review, NBA has announced a two-game suspension for Isaiah Stewart without pay for escalating the altercation citing his “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.” Meanwhile, Pistons’ Ron Holland and Marcus Sasser are suspended for one game.

From the Timberwolves’ side, DiVincenzo and Reid are also suspended for a game. That means they are not eligible to suit up tonight against the Nuggets. Sure enough, that’s a huge blow because they are two key players for the Timberwolves.

Their suspension hurts the team’s chances while they are fighting to stay out of the Play-in bracket, tied in wins with the Warriors and Clippers. With only a handful of games remaining, every win or loss holds major consequences and both teams missing key stars could eventually affect their playoff seeding. Which team do you think will come out on top amid adversity?