Nuggets appear fully healthy for playoffs, but stars are still battling injuries

For years the city of Denver has been waiting for the Nuggets to be fully healthy going into the NBA Playoffs, and we’re just days away from finally seeing it.

When the Nuggets tip off on Sunday it’ll be back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic surrounded by running mate Jamal Murray and star forwards Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rounds out the starting five, sixth-man Bruce Brown and even the rest of the rotation should be a full go.

The last time the Nuggets even had Jokic and Murray healthy at the same time they went to the Western Conference Finals in the bubble. But even then Denver didn’t have its starting five, Gary Harris missed the start of the first round and Will Barton never even got to Orlando. You have to go all the way back to the 2019 playoffs to find a time when all five starters for the Nuggets were healthy.

It’s a significant reason why the Nuggets played the relax, recovery and rest game down the stretch of their season as they essentially locked up first place with five weeks to play.

“Being smart down the stretch was such a delicate balance, who you play and rest and who shouldn’t be playing,” Malone said. “Overall the mental, emotional, physical is a really good place for us right now.”

But it’s not all rainbows and butterflies for the team that used to rock the rainbows. They will have their guys ready to go for Game 1 of the postseason but all of Jokic, Murray and Gordon have recently battled injuries.

Jokic only got 50 minutes of action over the season’s final seven games as the Nuggets played it safe with the big man’s calf injury.

“He looked good today, he got through all of practice,” Malone said of the standout Serbian. “He’s in a good place right now.”

Not in as good of a spot as Jokic is Murray, who missed three of the last six games and was limited in another one of those while wearing a wrap on his thumb. That wrap was gone during Wednesday’s practice as the Nuggets wait to find out who they’ll play. But Murray said the issue is still bothering him and is impacting his shot.

“It’s not going to be great at any point. Any time he catches the ball or gets hit in the area there’s going to be something there,” Malone said of Murray’s thumb. “But he’s tough and if anyone can play through the injury it’s Jamal. It’s going to be nagging.”

Like Jokic and Murray, Gordon was limited to under 70 games due to injuries. The most significant was a rib injury that cost him seven games in short succession around the All-Star Break.

Gordon revealed on Wednesday that his rib was popping out every time he breathed.

“It’s way better,” a relieved Gordon said about his health. “There’s always going to be aches and pains this time of the season but as soon as the ball goes up I’m not going to feel any of that… I feel great.”

Gordon and the crew had a team dinner to watch the first NBA Play-In game on Tuesday night, they’ll find out who they are going to face in Round 1 on Friday. The team excited and relaxed said they had one of their hardest practices of the season because they have a week off.

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