Cavaliers look to build momentum against Nuggets without Nikola Jokic

The Cleveland Cavaliers aim to start the New Year on a positive note, after the 2025 portion of this season has not gone as planned. They are coming off back-to-back wins to end the 2025 portion and look to extend that winning streak tonight against the Denver Nuggets.

The biggest key for this game is that the Nuggets will be without three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who will miss this game, as well as at least the next four weeks due to a hyperextended left knee.

The Cavaliers are heavy favorites to win this game, with the Nuggets already ruling out Jonas Valanciunas and Cam Johnson in addition to Jokic for tonight’s game.

Star guard Jamal Murray is listed as probable. This is in addition to both Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, who have been nursing more serious injuries for several weeks now. The Cavs, meanwhile, should be at full strength, or nearly so.

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Donovan Mitchell is coming off an absolutely stellar performance against the Suns. He not only scored 34 points, but he also snagged ten rebounds and dished out seven dimes. He even contributed on defense with two blocks and one steal. When Mitchell is this dominant, it is really hard for the Cavs to lose, especially with healthy contributions from the other starters.

Darius Garland’s shooting struggles from three-point range continued, but he did drop in 19 points on 7-13 overall shooting, including six assists. Garland is getting healthier amid a nagging injury, and if he can get his long-range game going, the dynamic duo in the backcourt with Mitchell and Garland may just be back.

Jaylon Tyson remained red-hot, scoring 18 points, while Sam Merrill stayed consistent with his 16. This balance of lineups and rotations is imperative against a team like the Nuggets. The Nuggets have had all the success they have had over the years due to their depth. The unsung heroes have been the glue that has kept the window open for Jokic and the Nuggets for multiple years.

Tonight, those glue guys are going to be the main guys, with two-ways and bottom-of-the-rotation players seeing the floor.

This is going to be a big test for the Nuggets.

They will have to go on the road during a holiday week without their three-time MVP player and try to win against a struggling team with all the talent in the world looking to get back on track. The Nuggets will learn what they are dealing with for the next month-plus sans Jokic.

The Cavs will learn that they can sustain a winning streak and grow from each win along the way.

Getting healthy and staying healthy is key for this Cavaliers team, while this Nuggets team is learning to do what the Cavs had to do the first half of the season: win with a litany of injuries.