Nuggets Update Cam Johnson's Injury Status Before Lakers Game

The Denver Nuggets have already dealt with their fair share of injuries this season, and they suffered another scare in their matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Starting forward Cam Johnson left the game late with an ankle injury, causing him to miss Monday's matchup against the Utah Jazz.

Now, the Nuggets are heading into a very challenging matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, and Johnson is in jeopardy of missing his second straight game.

The Nuggets have listed Johnson as questionable ahead of Thursday's matchup against the Lakers due to right ankle inflammation. Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, and Spencer Jones remain ruled out.

𝑵𝑬𝑾𝑺: Cam Johnson (right ankle inflammation) is QUESTIONABLE tomorrow vs. Lakers

Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones remain OUT pic.twitter.com/PU7Mn3iQIe
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) March 5, 2026

Cam Johnson is quesstionable vs. Lakers

With Gordon, Watson, and Jones all out, the Nuggets desperately need Johnson available against the star-studded Lakers on Thursday. Not only do they need all the help they can get against Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and company, but they cannot have their top four forwards all sidelined together.

In Denver's last outing, all four were out, and the Nuggets had to resort to a two-center starting lineup with Jonas Valanciunas alongside Nikola Jokic. To minimal surprise, that is not an ideal combo. While it works in short spurts and against certain lineups, it is not a frontcourt duo they want to rely on.

In the only other meeting this season between these two teams, the Nuggets did not have either Jokic or Valanciunas available, as they resorted to starting Gordon, Watson, and Jones with no center in the lineup. Thursday's matchup is trending to be a complete shift from the last time these two teams met.

Feb 22, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson (23) dribbles upcourt against the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at Chase Center. | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

This season, Johnson is averaging 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, while shooting 44.5% from the field and 40.6% from three-point range. The seven-year veteran has certainly had his ups and downs in his debut Nuggets season, but at his best, he is a reliable 3-and-D threat with an elite basketball IQ.

It will be great to see what Johnson can do in a playoff series, assuming the Nuggets are fully healthy around him, but it is impossible to deny that he also needs to be better himself.

Johnson recently missed over a month with a knee injury, and in nine appearances between his return and the recent ankle injury, he averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, shooting just 38.9% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Ideally, Johnson is able to return for Thursday's matchup against the Lakers, and with a better shooting touch than he has shown recently.

The Nuggets and Lakers are set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. MT in Denver on Thursday.