Nuggets Announce Loaded Injury Report vs. Hornets

The Denver Nuggets have won four consecutive games and six of their last seven, showcasing that they can still be successful without three-time MVP Nikola Jokic on the floor. Now, the Nuggets are heading into another favorable matchup on Sunday, as they gear up to host the Charlotte Hornets.

The Nuggets escaped a young, feisty Washington Wizards team in their last win, and while the Hornets are not much better, they will likely give Denver another challenge.

Especially with the injuries the Nuggets continue to deal with. Similar to how it has been for the past couple of weeks, the Nuggets are very banged up heading into Sunday's game.

Nuggets' injury report vs. Hornets

Most notably, the Nuggets remain without Jokic, along with a handful of other key players, but they also have to monitor the statuses of Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Bruce Brown ahead of Sunday's game. The Nuggets' full injury report:

Jamal Murray - PROBABLE (left ankle sprain; illness)

Bruce Brown - PROBABLE (right knee inflammation)

Aaron Gordon - QUESTIONABLE (right hamstring strain)

Christian Braun - OUT (left ankle sprain)

Cam Johnson - OUT (right knee bone bruise)

Nikola Jokic - OUT (left knee bone bruise)

Jonas Valanciunas - OUT (right calf strain)

Murray has been listed on Denver's injury report for the last several games, but he has played in their last three games after missing three of the previous four. The Nuggets are much better when Murray is on the floor, and they will have a much better chance of avoiding an upset on Sunday if he suits up. Murray is coming off a 42-point outing on Saturday, and it would be great to see if he can repeat that success on the second night of the back-to-back.

It will certainly be worth monitoring Gordon's status leading up to tip-off, as he is also coming off a strong performance on Saturday. In their win over the Wizards, Gordon dropped eight points, ten rebounds, and 11 assists, but 32 minutes marked his highest since returning from injury.

After Saturday's game, Nuggets head coach David Adelman said that he played Gordon more than he wanted to, so it would not be shocking if they give him the night off on Sunday, especially since hamstring injuries can be tricky.

David Adelman mentioned multiple times he played guys like Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray more than he would've liked.
Wouldn't be surprised if they're not available tomorrow night.
— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) January 18, 2026

The Nuggets cannot wait to trim down this injury report, but for now, they need to keep finding ways to win with the players they have available.

Hornets' injury report

The Hornets have been dealing with some key injuries throughout the season as well, but they are relatively healthy for Sunday's game. Charlotte's full injury report:

Moussa Diabate - PROBABLE (right hamstring strain)

Mason Plumlee - OUT (right groin surgery)

Grant Williams - OUT (right knee injury management)

The Hornets are the only team in the league with four players averaging 19 or more points per game, as LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and rookie Kon Knueppel have all been impressive this season. With all four of them available for Sunday's game, they could certainly give the Nuggets some trouble.

If Denver has to play without Gordon, they could be walking into a trap against a young Hornets team, but they know they can manage while shorthanded. The Nuggets and Hornets are set to tip off at 6:00 p.m. MT in Denver on Sunday.