NEW ORLEANS — The Denver Nuggets visit the Pelicans on Tuesday night at Smoothie King Center with a chance to finish a three-game season sweep in the latest Nuggets vs Pelicans matchup. Denver has stayed afloat through a rash of injuries, but it will again need a “next man up” performance with Nikola Jokic sidelined as he rehabs a hyperextended left knee, Jan. 13, 2026.
Nuggets vs Pelicans: Denver’s injury report sets the tone
Jokic is expected to miss at least four weeks and be re-evaluated after suffering a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise in late December, according to an ESPN injury update. Reuters reported Tuesday that the three-time NBA MVP is about two weeks into that timetable, leaving Denver to lean on its depth in the short term.
The league’s official NBA injury report listed Jamal Murray as questionable with an ankle issue and illness. Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas were listed out, while Aaron Gordon was listed probable as he works back from a hamstring strain.
Denver coach David Adelman said the club is making daily calls with players who are trying to push through discomfort. “We have to revisit this stuff every day,” Adelman said. “This is gonna be a process.”
The New Orleans Pelicans are also shorthanded. The same report listed guards Jose Alvarado and Dejounte Murray and wing Herb Jones among those ruled out, thinning an already stretched rotation as the club tries to halt a skid.
How the Nuggets vs Pelicans season series got here
Denver’s first two wins over New Orleans came with Jokic in full command. The Nuggets opened the series with a 122-88 blowout at Ball Arena on Oct. 29, 2025, when Jokic posted 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, as detailed in the AP game recap carried by ESPN.
When the clubs met again in New Orleans on Nov. 19, 2025, Peyton Watson erupted for a career-high 32 points in a 125-118 Denver win, while Jokic logged another triple-double, per a Reuters game story. Tuesday’s finale asks Denver to chase that same edge without its MVP center anchoring the offense.
What to watch in Nuggets vs Pelicans finale
Can Denver manufacture offense? Without Jokic’s playmaking, the Nuggets have leaned on Gordon, Watson and a rotating group of guards to create quality looks and limit live-ball turnovers.
New Orleans’ closing time. The Pelicans have dropped 10 of their past 11, and interim coach James Borrego said late-game execution remains the sticking point. “We’ve got to have more poise and execute down the stretch,” Borrego said. “But you’ve got to make plays. Bottom line.”
Physicality up front. With Valanciunas ruled out, Denver’s margin on the glass shrinks, putting more pressure on Gordon and Zeke Nnaji to rebound and protect the rim against a Pelicans group that still features Zion Williamson as a downhill threat.
The Nuggets vs Pelicans game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, according to the NBA’s game listing. A Field Level Media preview published by Reuters noted Denver has won three of its past four despite the mounting injuries, while New Orleans is still searching for fourth-quarter answers.
