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Nuggets list all five starters and DeRozan questionable at Houston after Mexico City delay
After a mechanical problem stranded them in Mexico City, the Nuggets listed Jokic, Murray and four others as questionable for Monday's game at Houston.
A stalled charter out of Mexico City has turned Monday's game in Houston into a guessing game for the Denver Nuggets. The team listed its entire starting lineup, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun, as questionable against the Rockets, along with top reserve DeMar DeRozan, ESPN's Anthony Slater reported. Denver also canceled Monday's shootaround.
The trouble started after Saturday's 114-102 win over Indiana at the neutral-site game in Mexico City. According to Basketball Network, which relayed updates from Altitude broadcaster Katy Winge, the team learned around 9 p.m. that the plane needed a replacement part. The part was installed overnight, but the crew then found the cabin door would not close. Players and staff had waited on the aircraft until early Sunday morning before returning to the hotel. Winge called it "one of the worst travel nights I can remember for the Nuggets." The flight didn't leave until late Sunday afternoon, and the team reached Houston that evening.
The injury report lists specific ailments, not just fatigue. The Denver Gazette reported that Jokic is listed with a right elbow sprain and Murray with a left shin contusion. Gordon and Johnson are listed for lower-body injury management. Braun has a left calf contusion and an illness, and DeRozan is still dealing with the back spasms that kept him out against Toronto. Julian Strawther remains out. Houston, which is 7-3 and lost at Phoenix on Saturday, will be without Steven Adams, Clint Capela, Quadir Copeland and Julian Phillips, according to the Gazette.
What it means for Monday in Houston
Denver is 5-3 and has won two straight: 128-109 over Toronto and Saturday's win over Indiana. Its eight games have swung widely, from a 20-point home loss to Golden State to a 141-135 shootout with New Orleans. The Nuggets have outscored opponents by 17 points in total, about 2.1 per game. They are 2-1 on the road, with wins at New Orleans and Phoenix and an 84-96 loss at Oklahoma City.
The board for this game already reflects the chance that Denver plays without some or all of its regulars. Houston is a clear favorite at -300 on the moneyline at Novig, with Denver at +292. On the spread, the Rockets are favored by 8.5 at Novig, priced at -111, and Denver +8.5 is +106 there. The best Denver spread across the 12 venues is +9 at -109 at Pinnacle, so the lines differ by only half a point.
The total stands at 217.5 at Novig, at -102 on both sides. FanDuel has the over at 216.5 for -110, the best over price on the board. That number is about 11 points below the 228.4 combined points Denver's games have averaged this season, which suggests the market expects reserves to play heavy minutes. The sportsbooks' hold runs from roughly 3.4% to 5.4% across the three markets.
The game tips Monday on ALT2/KTVD and 9NEWS. The final status of all six players will decide most of the outlook. If several of them sit, Denver would be testing its depth on short rest against a 7-3 team.