Nuggets Vs Warriors: Final injury report clouds Sunday’s showdown

The Nuggets vs Warriors matchup on Sunday, February 22 is headed into uncertainty as injuries pile up for both teams. Key availability questions around Jamal Murray and Stephen Curry—and a host of ruled-out players—could reshape rotations and the game plan for each side.

Nuggets and Warriors enter Sunday with contrasting records and recent results

Golden State hosts Denver on Sunday afternoon; the Warriors enter the game at 29-27 after a home loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, while the Nuggets come in 36-21 after a dominant road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

In that Celtics game, De’Anthony Melton scored 18 points and grabbed three rebounds, and Gui Santos added 17 points and six rebounds. In Denver’s win over Portland, Nikola Jokic finished with 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Jamal Murray had 25 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Nuggets injury report: Jamal Murray questionable; Pickett, Gordon and Watson out

Denver lists four players on its injury report. Jamal Murray is listed as questionable with right hamstring tightness; he played through the issue in Friday’s victory but is in danger of missing his first game since January 23. Jalen Pickett is ruled out with right knee soreness and will miss his third consecutive contest.

Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson are both ruled out while they recover from right hamstring strains. The team injury report lists the statuses as: QUESTIONABLE — Jamal Murray (Right Hamstring Tightness); OUT — Peyton Watson (Right Hamstring Strain); Aaron Gordon (Right Hamstring Strain); Jalen Pickett (Right Knee Soreness).

Golden State absences: Stephen Curry sidelined, Seth Curry and Jimmy Butler unavailable

The Warriors also have four players on their report. Stephen Curry is ruled out with a lingering right knee injury that has kept him out since January 30 and is expected to miss at least one more week. Seth Curry is ruled out and is set to miss at least two more weeks due to sciatic nerve irritation. Jimmy Butler is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

Kristaps Porzingis was pulled before the game with an Achilles issue; he had finished his Warriors debut with 12 points across 17 minutes and was expected to see his minutes tick up before being pulled. With Curry sidelined, Pat Spencer, Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II are likely to continue with increased roles.

Playmaking and betting angles: Nikola Jokic in focus for Feb. 22

Pre-game predictions emphasize Nikola Jokic’s facilitation. One preview called Jokic to “drop dimes, ” listing a top bet as Nikola Jokic Over 9. 5 assists. Jokic averaged 11 assists across his last five games at Golden State and recorded 10 or more assists in four of those five. He leads the league with 10. 5 assists per game, has posted 10+ assists in 26 of 41 games overall, and is averaging 9. 9 assists on the road.

With Jamal Murray banged up, Jokic could absorb more playmaking responsibility. The Nuggets’ offense is described as the highest-scoring in the Association; Denver set a franchise road record with 157 points in the Friday win over Portland. Denver has hit the over in eight of its last 10 games, while Golden State has hit the over in three straight. The Warriors have hit their team total over in 15 of their last 20 home games.

Rotation implications and matchups to watch: Draymond Green vs. Nikola Jokic and bench lift

With absences on both sides, rotations should shift. If Murray is sidelined, Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. are candidates for increased minutes and roles. On Golden State’s end, Christian Braun and Cam Johnson are expected to see a lot of run as they work back toward midseason form, and the Warriors’ depth players already projected for larger roles should continue to pick up minutes.

The preview singled out a matchup to watch: Draymond Green versus Nikola Jokic. Draymond was described as a defensive stalwart and provocateur, and commentary in the context noted Jokic has not historically been troubled by that matchup. A recent 10-game stretch cited Draymond averaging roughly 29 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. The Nuggets were also highlighted as struggling in clutch moments this season, with continued failures in one-possession games and a noted ranking as the second-worst clutch defense despite higher finishes in prior seasons.

Practical takeaway: with Steph Curry out, Jimmy Butler unavailable, Murray possibly resting and Kristaps Porzingis pulled before the game at 10: 45 a. m. ET, much of the offensive burden could fall on Jokic. Observers in the previews suggested the Warriors lack the size to consistently keep Jokic off the glass and projected a sizable game from him if the Nuggets do not open a runaway lead early.