Strawther Is Listed to Return Tonight. He's Also Getting an MRI.
Julian Strawther is targeted to play against the Lakers tonight, even as he's set for an MRI on the knee that cost him Wednesday's game — a contradiction Denver hasn't resolved.
Strawther left Wednesday's 110-122 loss at the Clippers with a left knee and leg injury, and Hoops Rumors reported Thursday that he will undergo an MRI. Denver's own injury list still marks tonight's game at the Lakers as his target return, the same date DeMar DeRozan is tagged to come back from a scheduled rest night.
A return date that contradicts the headline
Julian Strawther left Wednesday's 110-122 loss at the Clippers with a left knee and leg injury. Hoops Rumors reported Thursday that he's set for an MRI, yet Denver's own injury list still marks tonight's game against the Lakers as his target return. Those two signals point in opposite directions, and nothing published since narrows which one holds by tipoff.
Who takes the floor if he doesn't
Cam Whitmore scored 17 points off the bench against the Clippers, and Trevon Brazile added 22 on 8-of-10 shooting in that same loss. Christian Braun and Alpha Diallo round out the names Denver can lean on at the wing. None of them is Strawther's size, so his absence changes who Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray look for early in the clock.
A measuring-stick opponent, short-handed too
Luka Doncic is also held out to rest tonight, leaving Austin Reaves, who averaged 23.3 points a game last season, as the clear focal point for the Lakers. Los Angeles is further thinned by absences for Collin Sexton, Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr. With both rosters missing pieces, tonight reads more like a rehearsal for passing combinations than a measuring stick for the regular season.
What the calendar actually says
Denver's real opener comes Oct. 22 at Oklahoma City, the same date the team has targeted for Spencer Jones to return from the hamstring issue that's kept him out since Oct. 2. If Strawther's MRI comes back clean, Denver could have its full wing group back right as the games start to count. If it doesn't, the question of who plays alongside Jokic and Murray stays open a while longer.
Will Julian Strawther play against the Lakers tonight?
His status is unresolved. Denver's injury list still targets tonight for his return, even though he is set for an MRI on the same knee that kept him out Wednesday.
When do the Nuggets open the regular season?
Oct. 22 at Oklahoma City, the same date Denver has targeted for Spencer Jones to return from his hamstring issue.
