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After an extended holiday break, the Cleveland Cavaliers are hitting the road for a multi-game road trip. Cleveland's first stop on this trip will be to the Mile High City to take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Last time out, the Cavs defended homecourt against Collin Sexton and the Utah Jazz, winning 124-113. Denver, meanwhile, is looking to bounce back after losing on Christmas Day to the Phoneix Suns 110-100.
This will be the second and final time both teams square off this season, with the Cavs defeating the Nuggets in Cleveland earlier this year. However, with the pressure of playing in Denver and dealing with injuries, the Cavs could have their hands full against the Nuggets.
Who is unavailable for the Nuggets against Cleveland?
Against Cleveland, the Nugget will be without Trey Alexander (NBA G League assignment), Vlatko Cancar (knee), Aaron Gordon (calf), PJ Hall (NBA G League assignment), and DaRon Holmes (Achilles). Meanwhile, Denver star guard Jamal Murray is probable with an ankle injury but will likely be a game-time decision.
Gordon's calf injury occurred during the Nuggets' Christmas Day loss to the Suns. Head coach Michael Malone addressed Gordon's injury status in his postgame comments. Speaking to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, Malone stated, “Hopefully Aaron is gonna be ready to go for Cleveland, but we'll have to wait and see these next 24, 48 hours.”
Unfortunately, for the Nuggets, Gordon ended up being ruled out against the Cavs. It's a siginificant loss for Denver. This season, Gordon has been a key contributor, averaging 13.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 52.3% from the field and a career-best 44% from beyond the arc.
Murray's injury, meanwhile, is a lingering issue from an already existing ankle injury. The Nuggets' star guard played through it against the Suns and will do the same against the Cavs. However, if it's clear that Murray's ankle is still bothering him then Denver will lean more heavily on Russell Westbrook at point.
Who is unavailable for the Cavs on the road against Denver?
For Cleveland, meanwhile, the injury report is much heftier. Emoni Bates (NBA G League assignment), Isaac Okoro (shoulder), Craig Proter Jr. (NBA G League assignment), JT Thor (NBA G League assignment), and Luke Travers (NBA G League assignment) are all unavailable for the Cavs against the Nuggets. Cleveland forward Dean Wade, meanwhile, is questionable with a sore right knee and will likely be a game-time decision.
This will be the fourth straight game Okoro has missed for the Cavs after suffering a sprained right AC joint against the Brooklyn Nets. The Cleveland forward will be reevaluated in two weeks, and the team said it will update his status and return “as appropriate.” Okoro is one of the team's best defensive players and has become much more dependable on offense. He is averaging 6.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 21 minutes through 23 games with 16 starts.
Wade, meanwhile, is in jeopardy of missing his second consecutive contest due to right knee soreness. The 28-year-old forward appeared to knock knees with an opposing player in Cleveland's recent win against the Philadelphia 76ers and has been dealing with the blowback from the incident. In eight December appearances, he's averaging 6.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 steals. If Wade is unavaialble, Georges Niang, Caris LeVert, and Sam Merrill could see an uptick in playing time.
With Okoro unavailable, not having Wade could be a serious blow to Cleveland defensively. The Cavs are better on defense when Wade is on the floor compared to when he's not playing. Wade's status depends on how his bothersome knee injury is feeling closer to tip-off. Hopefully, the Cleveland forward is available.
