Two players on the fringe of the Nuggets’ rotation will have one more chance to make their case for postseason consideration.
Nikola Jokic, who must play 15 minutes in Sunday’s regular-season finale at San Antonio to be eligible for end-of-season awards, is listed as questionable with right wrist injury management. The other four starters – Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson and Aaron Gordon – will not play. Tim Hardaway Jr. is also getting Sunday off, while Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones remain out with hamstring strains.
That means Julian Strawther and Jonas Valanciunas will have an opportunity to build on their performances in Friday’s win over the Thunder against a Spurs team that could also be shorthanded.
San Antonio is listing Victor Wembanyama, who reached the threshold to be eligible for end-of-season awards on Friday, as questionable to play against Denver. Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell carry the same designation into Sunday’s game with the Spurs locked into the two seed. A Denver win or a Lakers loss to a tanking Jazz team makes the Nuggets the three seed and sets up a first-round series against the Timberwolves. If the Nuggets lose and the Lakers win, Denver gets the four seed and hosts the Rockets to start the playoffs.
With Denver’s starters in street clothes against Oklahoma City, Strawther turned a team-high 17 shots into 22 points. He went 4 of 7 from 3-point range and added four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in an important win over an ever-more-limited Oklahoma City squad that had already secured the top seed in the Western Conference.
Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther, left, fights for control of the ball with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, April 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
“We all know in this room what he can do offensively. I think he took a step in the right direction of getting better at the things he’s already good at,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said of Strawther’s season.
“The floater has gotten better and better. (He has) much more confidence just to shoot the ball from the four-point line and let the thing go when he feels like he’s open, which we need from him.”
Valanciunas ended up leading the Nuggets to an 11th consecutive win that secured home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with 23 points, 17 rebounds and four assists. As impressive as the stat line was, Valanciunas’ postseason role will likely come down to Denver’s opponent.
“The matchup thing does matter,” Adelman said of Valanciunas’ role. “If teams can spread you out with five shooters, it makes it tougher. If he has a matchup where we can put him in a proper coverage situation defensively, give him a chance, we know what he can do offensively.”
Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valančiūnas, right, looks to pass the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder center Branden Carlson defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, April 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The uncertain injury timelines for Jones, who last played in the March 29 win over Golden State, and Watson, who got hurt on April 1 against Utah, complicate the rotation calculus. If Jones, who’s been used as a center in small-ball lineups, isn’t ready, that increases the chances Valanciunas is in the rotation, not that the veteran big man is sweating his situation.
“If a small lineup works, we rock with it,” Valanciunas said. “If it doesn’t work, we do something else. Whatever works.”
If Watson isn’t ready by the time Denver’s playoff run begins, that creates space for Strawther to play meaningful minutes. That’s a familiar situation. After playing most of his minutes in the first five games of last year’s second-round series against the Thunder in garbage time, Strawther stepped up and provided an offensive spark with 15 points on eight shots in Denver’s Game 6 win. His role has been in flux for most of this season, as the Nuggets have dealt with a rash of injuries.
“Early on this year, there was literally no opportunity for me, and that’s just what it was,” Strawther said. “I would be lying to you if I said it was easy, but (it’s) understanding you can get a call one morning before a game and there going to be like ‘Hey, you’re starting tonight.’ Things move just that fast in the league. You’ve got to be ready for everything.”
Regardless of the eventual playoff role, Adelman said the Nuggets need Strawther to provide one constant.
“He has to come in the game and feel ultra confident all the time, and that’s a skill in our league. It’s hard because everybody wants to find a rhythm in the NBA, but not all roles are the same. I’ve been really proud of him,” the Nuggets’ coach said, adding his third-year guard has made strides defensively.
“When we’re fully healthy, there will be guys that have to sacrifice. He will be one of them, but we know what he can bring to the table.”
The same could be said for Valanciunas.
“It’s not about individual. It’s about team. Whatever works for the team, whatever adds more points than (the) opponents, we rock with it no matter what,” Valanciunas said. “It was not a place to have an ego all season. The post(season) it’s even less of that. We’re working toward something big. It’s not about me.”