David Adelman Gives Updates on Injured Nuggets Stars After Win vs. Bucks

The Denver Nuggets went into Friday's game with only ten available players, and things got worse when Aaron Gordon exited the contest with an injury. Playing without Gordon, along with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson, and others, the Nuggets managed to pull out a road win against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Nuggets have battled through plenty of injuries throughout the season, and just when things seem to be getting better, it manages to get worse. Most notably, Murray, Watson, and Jonas Valanciunas were downgraded to out just an hour before tip-off, but head coach David Adelman explained that decision and said they are all "day to day."

"They'll be evaluated. I can't see Jonas missing the next one, just because this was more about a return to play. Peyton, I mean, people watch the game, he went down hard and [injured] both his ankles, not to mention his hip. And what Jamal's dealt with all year... It'll be day to day like it always is with our guys, but once again, if they can't go, these guys just beat the Bucks, so we'll go with them," Adelman said.

Nuggets' backups rising to the occasion

The Nuggets' injury problems have continued to pile up, but they were just able to take down two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks behind a 20-point outing from Julian Strawther. Denver has done an amazing job of putting together a great group of role players, and while they never expected these role players to become the stars of the show, they continue to rise to the occasion.

"It's cool. Mixed emotions in there with Aaron going down, but I just think the overall belief in each other is extreme. It's cool to see the guys that are out so excited for their teammates," Adelman said. "...It's just a very, very strong-willed group of guys. A lot of guys stepped up."

No update on Jokic

Jan 23, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during warmups prior to the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Nuggets have been surprisingly successful without Jokic on the floor, now improving their record to 9-5 in 14 games since his knee injury. However, it is no secret that they are ready to have him back in the lineup, despite how well they have been playing without him. Unfortunately, though, Adelman still has no update on the superstar big man.

"I don't know when Nikola's coming back," Adelman said. "A lot of people have asked me that, and believe me, I ask myself that every day. But in the meantime, he's not, and he'll be a leader off the court like the rest of these guys have been."

The decision to play Gordon

Gordon was sidelined for over a month, but returned to action in early January. Friday's game marked the second time since his injury that he played both legs of a back-to-back, so there was not much reason to question the decision to let him play in Milwaukee. However, should they have?

Hamstring injuries can be very tricky to navigate, and in hindsight, the team certainly would have preferred Gordon rested for the second game in 24 hours, but Adelman and his medical staff felt like he was ready to go.

"It's just the stress test. That's what they go by. They look at his body and how it responded to yesterday. The response was good. And let's just be honest, this is not an exact science. These injuries, they can come back at any time... I feel for him. He's optimistic that it's not as bad as the last one, but we don't know until we get it actually tested. Nobody made a mistake with him playing," Adelman said.

Gordon re-injuring his hamstring could be another disaster for this Nuggets team that cannot escape their injury concerns, but they have to hope that it does not sideline him for too long. All in all, the Nuggets' injuries are not improving like they would have hoped at this point, but there is still optimism.

Nuggets' backups rising to the occasion

No update on Jokic

The decision to play Gordon

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