Injury-riddled Nets start road trip at Nuggets

Every NBA team deals with injuries throughout the 82-game regular season, and the Brooklyn Nets are no different. But they are battling more than their fair share right now.

Brooklyn had only eight rotation players available in its loss to Detroit on Wednesday night, and the Nets could be similarly depleted when they open a road trip at the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

Cameron Johnson, the team's second-leading scorer at 19.5 points per game, has missed the last three games with a sprained ankle. Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said there was a chance Johnson would return against Denver, but the sixth-year forward was listed as out on Thursday night's injury report.

"We're not going to rush anything. So, whenever he is clear and he feels good," Fernandez said. "He's young, but he's a vet and I trust him. So, I don't want him to go too early and risk anything. I just want him to be 100 percent because then he makes us better."

Johnson is traveling with the team and may return later in its six-game Western Conference road trip.

Aside from Johnson, the Nets were without their remaining top four scorers on Wednesday.

Cam Thomas (24.7 ppg) has played in just two games since Nov. 25 as he battles a hamstring injury, while third-leading scorer Dennis Schroder (18.4) sat out with a bruised left hip. D'Angelo Russell (12.7), acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 29, has played three games with Brooklyn but missed the last two with a bruised right shin.

Noah Clowney, sixth on the team this year with 9.4 points per game, scored a career-high 29 against the Pistons to lead Brooklyn.

The Nuggets are hoping to get a big piece back into their lineup. Nikola Jokic has missed two straight games due to a non-COVID illness -- a 12-point loss to Boston and a 23-point win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

Jokic leads the NBA in scoring at 31.5 points per game, is second in assists (9.7) and ranks third in rebounding, grabbing an average of 13 per game. He is officially questionable to face Brooklyn.

Denver is 2-3 in games Jokic has missed and struggled without him in the loss to the Celtics on Tuesday night but adjusted 24 hours later to rout Los Angeles.

Jamal Murray led the way with 21 points and Michael Porter Jr. hit his season average of 19 points.

Murray is second on the Nuggets in scoring at 19.4 points per game and third in assists at 6.3 per night. Russell Westbrook, who has been starting in place of Aaron Gordon (right calf strain), is second in assists at 6.7.

Denver, like Brooklyn, has coped with injuries throughout the season, which has factored into the Nuggets' uneven 21-15 start.

"We just have to figure out a way to weather the storm and come back," Murray said. "I think the intent and focus we are playing with, even though we lost to Boston, it was still great intent and energy, and we just have to keep that kind of focus. We can beat anyone no matter who is up."

--Field Level Media