JOKIC’S RETURN WILL HAVE TO WAIT
Despite being officially listed as available to play in the Nuggets’ road trip finale Wednesday against the Celtics, standout center Nikola Jokic missed his seventh consecutive game with a sprained left ankle.
Before the Nuggets departed for the road, coach Michael Malone said Jokic’s return sometime during the second half of the trip would be the best-case scenario. Jokic, who suffered the injury Nov. 30 against Chicago, has progressed in recent days, going through individual work following shootarounds and before games at Orlando, Indiana and Detroit. But Jokic still had pain and swelling in his ankle as recently as Tuesday, ac- cording to Malone.
“I didn’t think he was ready,” Malone said. “(The medical staff ) might say he’s ready. But for myself and talking with him, it’s not just, ‘Is the ankle ready?’ It’s, ‘Is his head ready?’ I didn’t think he was ready to play tonight. I wanted to protect him, so I made that decision.”
Denver was also without leading scorer Will Barton against the Celtics because of a bruised lower back suffered in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s win at Detroit. Trey Lyles made his first start of the season in Barton’s place and totaled nine points.
Bench play underwhelms.
Malone again praised the overall effort of his undermanned roster in Wednesday’s 124-118 loss in Boston. But he also issued a challenge to Denver’s reserves, who contributed 16 total points and were primarily on the floor when the Celtics outscored the Nuggets 38-28 in the second quarter.
“We need our bench players to come in and impact the game in a positive matter, and we’re not getting that right now,” Malone said. “Some guys are taking advantage of that opportunity (with so many injuries), and just as revealing is some guys are not taking advantage of that opportunity.
“Minutes are not going to continue just to be given because you think you deserve them. Minutes have to be earned, and if you’re not playing well, those minutes are not going to be there anymore.”
Malik Beasley, who became Denver’s first player off the bench on this road trip, contributed eight points and three rebounds in 18 minutes. Kenneth Faried totaled 10 rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes. Emmanuel Mudiay had five points and two assists in 17 minutes, while Juancho Hernangomez finished with two points on 0of-4 shooting and four rebounds in 14 minutes.
Monte Morris returns to G-League.
Two-way guard Monte Morris was transferred back to the G-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Morris, who is permitted to spend 45 days with the Nuggets this season as part of his twoway contract, joined Denver on Sunday at Indiana and made his NBA debut by playing the final three minutes of Thursday’s win at Detroit.