The Denver Nuggets – who beat up on the Clippers in Denver Saturday – will be without starting guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who is suffering from low back pain. Mudiay started Saturday's game, but had to leave, and he ruled himself out of tonight's game shortly after Saturday's game ended.
Here is the rest of the Denver injury report:
Danilo Gallinari (right ankle) is probable. Darrell Arthur (left knee soreness) is questionable. Gary Harris (right ankle sprain) is questionable.
Both Gallinari and Arthur played last night.
Without Mudiay, that will mean a lot more of veteran Jameer Nelson, who had eight assists and six points in Saturday's win. "He's experienced,'' Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's a terrific pick-and-roll player. He can shoot the ball. So he adds that. He's tough. A really good competitor. I think you also look at the way they run their offense, with (Nikola) Jokic, he can function as their point guard as well. As a team they're very unselfish, they share the ball with each other, they move it, they have a lot of guys who can go off the dribble. So it's a highly-skilled team.''
Here are some other notes from this morning's shootaround:
--The Jokic vs. Karl-Anthony Towns matchup is another example of where the center position is going, in terms of skill level and the ability stretch the floor. Both can hit the three, both can move the ball, both can run the court. For the 2013 All Star Game, at least in part because of a relative dearth of great center candidates, the league rolled the center into a "frontcourt'' designation. Perhaps, with all the good centers coming into the game, that should change back.
"Now, all of a sudden, there is an influx of centers,'' he said. "So it's good, good for the game, I think. Maybe they'll re-examine it, look at it again.''
