Nikola Jokic called on the Denver Nuggets to adopt a “next man up” mentality, as the team continues to navigate its ongoing injury crisis.
Jamal Murray became the newest name on the injury list, joining fellow starters Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, after the Denver Nuggets guard tweaked his ankle in the third period of their 131-121 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.
“He’s a great player for us. He can score, he can get other people involved,” Jokic said via Rachel Strand of ClutchPoints. “But if someone is down, we cannot think about him. Some other guy needs to step up, and we need to find a way to win a game.”
“I don’t know how he’s doing. I know he tried (to play), because that’s Jamal. Jamal is tough,” head coach David Adelman added. “If he sits himself because of the pain, you know it hurts. I’m hoping it just was something that happened tonight, and he can get treatment the next two days, and we can see him come back.”
Denver Nuggets News: Aaron Gordon makes bold championship prediction in recent podcast appearance
Aaron Gordon recently appeared on The Old Man and The Three podcast, where he expressed his utmost confidence in the Denver Nuggets to win this year’s NBA championship to teammate Cameron Johnson.
“At the end of the day, I believe, we’re going to be the ones that walk off with a win. We’ll be the last team to win. Everyone else is going to hold an L at the end of the season. Except for us. We’re going to be the ones to win at the end of the season,” Gordon told Johnson.
As things stand, the Denver Nuggets are fifth in the Western Conference at 14-6, and they’ll aim to bounce back when they open their four-game road trip against the Indiana Pacers later.
