Many people view the Denver Nuggets as the Sacramento Kings' big brother. It makes sense when you think about it. Both teams are in the Western Conference and feature an offensively slanted center with specific shortcomings on the defensive side of the ball. The Nuggets are just the more successful version of this team build, hence their big brother status.
Tonight marks the first of four times these two siblings will square off in 2024-25. So, how much ammunition will the Nuggets have available to them? What about our Kings? Here is the full injury report heading into this game.
Sacramento Kings Injury Report
After going through a rough patch on the injury front, the Kings are getting back to the trend of good health they have endured over the last few games (*knocks wood aggressively*). The only player in their normal rotation currently listed on the injury report is Trey Lyles.
Lyles is out with the calf strain he suffered against the Oklahoma City Thunderlast week. Lyles won't be getting re-evaluated until the end of the month. So, there is a good chance we won't see him for the rest of 2024.
Notice how we said the only player in their "normal rotation." The Kings are still missing their 2024 first round draft pick, Devin Carter. Carter has yet to have a chance to crack the rotation, as he's spent the entire first portion of the season recovering from an offseason shoulder injury.
Denver Nuggets Injury Report
The Nuggets have had average injury luck relative to the rest of the league. However, they do have a handful of players with question marks surrounding them heading into this game.
The big name to watch is Jamal Murray. ESPN has Murray listed as probable with right hamstring inflammation. So, based on that designation, Murray has about a 75% chance of playing. Christian Braun is listed as questionable with lower back spasms (giving him a 50/50 shot of playing).
The Nuggets will forsure be without Dario Saric (ankle), Vlatko Cancar (knee), and DaRon Holmes II (Achilles). You never want to be missing a body, but none of these players are as meaningful to the Nuggets' operation as Murray and Braun are. So, being without them isn't too harsh a blow.
After this game, the Kings will get two days off before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, December 19.