Last season, the Denver Nuggets were plagued by injuries, with Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, and Peyton Watson all dealing with long absences that haunted them throughout the year.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, it was clear they'd be able to compete for a championship as long as they could stay healthy, but things are already trending in the wrong direction. In just their second game of the season, the Nuggets are banged up.
In their season opener, the Nuggets played with Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones, which significantly hurt their bench unit. Now, before Saturday's contest against the New Orleans Pelicans, they have added two more players to the injury report.
Nuggets injury report
The Nuggets have ruled out three players for their matchup with the Pelicans and listed another as questionable, as their rotation could take a huge hit in their first home game of the 2026-27 season. Denver's full injury report:
Alpha Diallo - QUESTIONABLE (right wrist sprain)
Cameron Johnson - OUT (right ankle sprain)
Spencer Jones - OUT (bilateral hamstring injury management)
Julian Strawther - OUT (left knee sprain)
Cameron Johnson left the Nuggets' season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder before halftime after suffering an ankle sprain, but there is still no update from the team on how long he'll be sidelined. Obviously, it will hurt to be without a starter, especially while Denver's other wings are injured.
With Johnson sidelined, this is typically where we'd see Spencer Jones step into the starting lineup, but he is ruled out for the second consecutive game. The next man up would be Alpha Diallo, who filled in for Johnson to start the second half on Thursday, but he could also miss Saturday's home opener.
That’s why Alpha Diallo is the reigning EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year 🔒pic.twitter.com/2VD1VjT1lS
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) October 5, 2026
Diallo's status will certainly be worth monitoring ahead of tip-off, as his availability could impact what David Adelman and his staff decide to do with the starting lineup. If Diallo is sidelined, do we see the Nuggets go with veteran DeMar DeRozan? They likely want to keep him with the second unit, so we could even see them go much deeper, with two-way forward Bryce Hopkins as a name to watch.
Pelicans injury report
The Pelicans' injury report has yet to be submitted as the team heads into the second leg of a back-to-back. New Orleans suffered a one-point road loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday night, with Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, and Saddiq Bey especially stepping up to nearly get them their first win of the season.
It is worth noting that Pelicans starting center Yves Missi left Friday's game with a knee injury, which obviously makes him unlikely to play in Saturday's contest in Denver.
The Nuggets need a win to avoid falling to 0-2 on the season, and losing to the Pelicans, especially, would leave a bad taste in fans' mouths. The Nuggets and Pelicans are set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. MT in Denver on Saturday.
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