Nuggets meet Haliburton-less Pacers in Mexico City with DeRozan, Jones day to day
Denver (4-3) faces Indiana (3-6) Saturday at Arena CDMX. The Pacers are without Tyrese Haliburton, and DeMar DeRozan is day to day for the Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets play their first regular-season game outside the United States on Saturday. They meet the Indiana Pacers at Arena CDMX in Mexico City at 5 p.m. ET, and the game airs nationally on NBA TV. Denver's only earlier trip to Mexico was a 2006 preseason game against Golden State. Indiana will be without its best player again.
ESPN's preview lists Tyrese Haliburton as out with a hamstring injury. Ben Sheppard (meniscus) and T.J. McConnell (hamstring) are also out, Johnny Furphy is done for the season with a torn ACL, and Kelly Oubre Jr. is day to day with a calf problem. Denver's list is shorter, but one name matters. DeMar DeRozan is day to day with a back issue, Spencer Jones is day to day with a hamstring, and Julian Strawther is out with a knee injury. NBA.com reports that Haliburton is expected to miss at least another week. Indiana is 1-4 without him this season and has been 11.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor.
Without Haliburton, the Pacers' offense runs through Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard. Siakam is averaging 21.3 points and 7.1 rebounds. Nembhard is averaging a career-best 19 points and shooting 39.5% from deep. His younger brother Ryan is on a two-way deal with Denver and has played in three games, so the brothers could face each other as pros for the first time. The Pacers' team site projects Denver's usual starting five: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic.
What it means for Saturday
Denver comes in 4-3, ninth in the Western Conference, and has won three of its last four. Jokic had his 201st career triple-double in Wednesday's 128-109 win over Toronto, finishing with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. He needs nine more to pass Russell Westbrook for the most in NBA history. The schedule has been uneven, though. The Nuggets scored just 84 points in their opener at Oklahoma City, lost by 20 at home to Golden State and lost to Portland at home a week ago. Portland now leads the Northwest Division at 6-1.
The Pacers are 3-6 and 11th in the East. They are coming off a 19-63 season they played entirely without Haliburton, who was recovering from the Achilles tear he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 Finals. On paper, a short-handed Indiana team is the kind of opponent Denver needs to keep climbing in the West.
The numbers point the same way. Jokic is averaging 23 points, close to 10 rebounds and just over nine assists, with three triple-doubles in seven games. But his shooting is down: 50% from the field and 22% from three, which Pacers.com notes is a career low from beyond the arc. Denver averaged 122.1 points on 49.6% shooting last season and has topped 125 in three of its four wins this year. The Nuggets went 54-28 last season, including 26-15 on the road. A neutral floor at altitude takes away home-court edges, but Mexico City sits about 7,350 feet above sea level, higher than Denver.
If DeRozan can't play, Denver loses a secondary scorer and Johnson and Braun take on more of the work on the wing. That makes it more important for Murray to stay hot. In last season's home win over Indiana, Murray shot 19 of 25 from the field and made 10 of 11 threes.
The two teams meet again later this season in Denver.
