Kings-Nuggets Injury Report: Jamal Murray, Porter Jr. Status Update
After winning six of seven and catching fire on their road trip, the Sacramento Kings have dropped two consecutive, including a horrendous home loss to the eight-win Detroit Pistons. Following the rough loss, the Kings will look to bounce back, hosting the reigning champion Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
The Nuggets are on the second leg of a back-to-back, taking down the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Led by NBA MVP favorite and reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets are tied for first place in the Western Conference at 36-16.
The Kings, led by star duo De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, have slid to 7th in the West at 29-21, looking to avoid falling into a hole ahead of the All-Star break. Despite being expected to shake things up, the Kings stood pat at the trade deadline, hoping their current roster can take them past the first round of the playoffs.
Ahead of Friday's matchup, both teams have released their Injury Reports:
Sacramento Kings:
Chris Duarte - OUT (ankle)
Denver Nuggets:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - QUESTIONABLE (hamstring)
Vlatko Cancar - OUT (knee)
DeAndre Jordan - PROBABLE (foot)
Jamal Murray - PROBABLE (tibia)
Michael Porter Jr. - PROBABLE (knee)
After starting the season strong, Chris Duarte has fallen out of Sacramento's rotation, posting DNPs in ten of his last 11 outings. The backup wing will now miss more time with an ankle sprain after injuring it before Wednesday's matchup against the Pistons.
Even on the second leg of a back-to-back, Denver seems to be relatively healthy outside of a few players listed as probable. With two starters and their backup center listed on the report, the Nuggets could potentially be shorthanded in Sacramento, but they will likely be at full power.
With Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. heading into Friday night with a "probable" status, the Kings would be at an advantage if the duo has to miss action or even play limited minutes. Murray dropped 29 points and 11 assists playing 36 minutes against the Lakers on Thursday, while Porter Jr. had 27 points in 38 minutes of action.
The Kings have the rest advantage, but the back-to-back might not phase the defending champions. Sacramento and Denver tip off at 7 P.M. PT.
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