Retour
After falling to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Denver Nuggets are 3-3 on the season, and they certainly need to clean things up before their situation gets worse. They have yet to beat a team with a winning record, which has caused some obvious concern, but they will have another chance against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
The Nuggets are hosting the 4-3 Raptors, who are heading into game three of a four-game road trip, and they are even better than their record suggests. The Raptors are top seven in the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating, and they will certainly give the Nuggets a good battle as they try to avoid falling below .500 again.
The Nuggets have yet to play with a fully healthy roster this season. They went three consecutive games without starting forward Cameron Johnson, but have had him back on the floor for each of their past two contests. However, after being left off the injury report in their last game, he is back with an injury designation. Denver's full injury report:
Cameron Johnson - PROBABLE (lower body injury management)
Alpha Diallo - PROBABLE (right wrist sprain)
Spencer Jones - OUT (bilateral hamstring injury management)
Julian Strawther - OUT (left knee sprain)
The Nuggets are hoping to have Johnson available for Wednesday's game, but he limped off the court at the end of their loss to the Trail Blazers with an apparent hamstring injury. He seemingly avoided any serious injury, as he is listed as probable against the Raptors, but it was an obvious concern.
Cam Johnson grabs his hamstring at the end of Nuggets-Blazers 😳 pic.twitter.com/dQ3PIdOEe6
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) November 3, 2026
The Nuggets have gotten more good news, as Alpha Diallo is listed as probable. Diallo missed four straight games after getting injured in the Nuggets' season opener, but returned to action in their loss to Portland. He is now tracking to play again, but the team will still be without key reserves Spencer Jones and Julian Strawther.
The Raptors were off to a hot start this season with their new-look team, but Kawhi Leonard suffered an injury that has set them back. They have lost three of their last five games since Leonard's injury and are just 1-2 this season against teams with a winning record. They will still be without Leonard for Wednesday's game, giving the Nuggets an edge. Toronto's full injury report:
Jakob Poeltl - QUESTIONABLE (left shoulder bursitis)
Kawhi Leonard - OUT (left knee injury management)
Nate Bittle - OUT (right avulsion fracture)
The Raptors could be down two starters on Wednesday night if Jakob Poeltl also has to sit, but obviously, their focus is on Leonard's absence. In each of the past five games, they have turned to Ja'Kobe Walter to start in Leonard's place, while Collin Murray-Boyles would likely start if Poeltl is sidelined.
Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley are enough to give the Nuggets some trouble, even with Leonard out, so Denver cannot take this matchup lightly.
The Nuggets and Raptors are set to tip off at 7:00 p.m. MT in Denver.