A Nuggets game scheduled for Sunday afternoon against the Grizzlies was postponed because of inclement weather in Memphis, the league announced.
What was supposed to be the last of a three-game road trip for Denver (31-15) will now be played at a later date to be determined. The Nuggets are still planning to return home from Memphis on Sunday if they’re able to fly, a team official told The Denver Post.
They already changed their travel schedule once on the trip due to winter storms in Memphis, flying in from Milwaukee immediately after a 102-100 win over the Bucks on Friday night instead of staying overnight in Milwaukee as originally planned.
Monday is an off day for the Nuggets, who will then tip off a four-game homestand with the Detroit Pistons in town Tuesday.
The postponement also pushes back the countdown on remaining games for Spencer Jones, who has only five remaining before he’s ineligible to play in the NBA unless his contract is converted from a two-way. His hypothetical last game is now Feb. 3 at Detroit, two days before the trade deadline.
The Nuggets were going to be short-handed again in Memphis. Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson and Christian Braun had all been ruled out with various injuries. Jonas Valanciunas was likely to play, coach David Adelman said on Friday. Jamal Murray and Peyton Watson had been listed as questionable on the team’s injury report.
Another fortuitous side-effect of the postponement: Jokic’s awards eligibility has been on life support during his recovery from a left knee injury, but now he’s been given two extra days to return with MVP hopes intact. Players must play a minimum of 65 games to appear on ballots for end-of-year accolades such as MVP and All-NBA, meaning they cannot miss more than 17. Jokic has missed 14 so far since hyperextending his knee on Dec. 29.
With the Memphis game jettisoned, he now has to return by Feb. 1 at the latest. That’s the day Denver, fittingly, faces MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first time this season.
“I don’t know when Nikola is coming back,” Adelman said Friday after the win in Milwaukee. “A lot of people have asked me that. Believe me, I ask myself that every day.”
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