The Denver Nuggets host the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals four days after the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors in Los Angeles and ended their dynasty in the process.
Los Angeles is now looking to continue the trend of keeping Nikola Jokic out of the NBA Finals. Jokic has become the best player in the league over the last three years but is yet to make the NBA Finals. Denver has had some pretty bad injury luck and he finally has a roster that is good enough to win a championship.
But so do the Lakers and as it stands right now, against all odds, it looks like the purple and gold have a healthier squad than Denver. The Nuggets could be without their second-best player, Jamal Murray.
Jamal Murray Game 1 update:
UPDATE: Jamal Murray will play in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals for the Denver Nuggets.
Jamal Murray has been listed as questionable for Game 1 against the Lakers with a non-covid illness. It appears to be a game-time decision for the Nuggets, so fans won’t exactly know his status until shortly before the game.
That being said, even if Murray does play he likely will not be able to play at the same level that he normally plays at. Playing sick is no joke and we saw the Lakers benefit from this some last round when Kevon Looney came down with an illness and became a less prominent part of Golden State’s rotation.
Full Nuggets injury report vs Lakers:
Jamal Murray is the only player worth mentioning that is on the Nuggets’ injury report. Collin Gillespie has been out since April but he is not a member of the rotation anyways as he is signed to a two-way deal.
Full Lakers injury report vs Nuggets:
Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are listed on the Lakers injury report for Game 1 but it is nothing to worry about. The two stars have been listed on every injury report since they came back from their respective injuries and at this point, it is just a formality. Both players will play barring some unforeseen disaster.
Los Angeles will be without Mo Bamba, though, who has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Because of Jokic’s size, there is potential for Bamba to actually have a role in this series but he will have to wait because of his health.