Entire Nuggets starting lineup, plus most Thunder starters, among 156 NBA players ruled out Friday
The Nuggets pronounced their entire starting lineup questionable, then ruled them out.
Fans who bought tickets in advance to see the Oklahoma City Thunder play the Denver Nuggets — the No. 1 and 3 teams in the West — probably weren’t thrilled when the starting lineups were released. With the end of the regular season two days away, the only regular starter available between the two teams was dependable 3-and-D man Lu Dort for the Thunder.
Everyone else, including MVP contenders Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, was ruled out. That left the starting lineups looking like this: Thunder : Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Branden Carlson, Jared McCain, Nikola Topic Nuggets : Julian Strawther, Bruce Brown, Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardway Jr. , Tyus Jones With Jokic at only 64 games played, he is now required to play in the Nuggets’ season finale if he wants to be eligible for the NBA’s end of season awards.
That game is a road date with the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The Nuggets actually had pronounced their entire starting lineup (Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun) questionable in an injury report , then ruled them all out. That quintet was five of a whopping 156 players ruled out across the NBA’s 15 games on Friday for injury, illness or rest.
That doesn’t include several two-way players who were out in the G League, nor players not currently with their team (Terry Rozier, D’Angelo Russell). A not small number of the NBA's players were out on Friday. AAron Ontiveroz via Getty Images The only team to have no players out: the Detroit Pistons in their game against the Charlotte Hornets.
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