Cam Johnson exits Nuggets loss to Trail Blazers early with apparent hamstring injury

Cam Johnson was back in the Nuggets' lineup for only two games before he got hurt again in their home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers

BY JOEY FREEBURG

Nov 2, 2026, 10:27 PM

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Cam Johnson was back in the Nuggets’ lineup for only two games before he got hurt again.

The forward left Monday night’s 118-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers late in the fourth quarter. Johnson was seen grabbing the back of his leg on the play where Toumani Camara hit a 3-pointer with 1:10 left to all but seal the game. He finished with 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

#Nuggets’ Jamal Murray has 35 points with 4 made 3s. But Denver cannot get a stop on other end. #Nuggets trail 113-107 w 1:06 left. Cam Johnson appeared to hurt left hamstring on pass to Murray https://t.co/LxCczW8sCc

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) November 3, 2026

After the game, head coach David Adelman was asked for an update on Johnson. He had none.

“I have no idea,” Adelman said.

The timing hurts. Johnson missed the first three games after spraining his right ankle in the second quarter of the season opener at Oklahoma City. He came back Friday against his former team, the Phoenix Suns, and Denver won its NBA Cup opener 127-120. Three days later, he was hurt again.

The loss dropped Denver to 3-3 overall and 1-2 at Ball Arena. Jamal Murray scored 35 points and Nikola Jokic added 26, but Portland took its first lead with 9:29 left and held on. The Blazers also attempted 41 3-pointers to Denver’s 26.

Denver is already thin at forward. Spencer Jones is still out with a hamstring injury he suffered in training camp, and Julian Strawther is also sidelined. Rookie Trevon Brazile has filled some of that gap, but losing Johnson for any length of time would leave Adelman with few options.

Injuries at forward have been a problem for Denver for a while. Last season, Cam Johnson missed 28 games with several different injuries. Peyton Watson missed 28 regular-season games and six playoff games with a hamstring strain. Aaron Gordon missed 46 games with hamstring and calf problems, and the Nuggets went out in the first round against Minnesota.

How much time Cam Johnson misses will depend on what the team learns in the next day or two. For now, Denver is waiting on another update about a forward’s hamstring.