The Denver Nuggets will still take the floor on Christmas Day.
They will just do so without one of their most reliable starters.
Cam Johnson Injury Update
Forward Cam Johnson will be reevaluated in four to six weeks after suffering a bone bruise in his right knee, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday, delivering a significant blow to a Nuggets team already navigating mounting health concerns.
“Denver’s Cam Johnson will be reevaluated in 4 to 6 weeks with his right knee injury, sources tell ESPN,” Charania posted on X. “The Nuggets are now down three starters: Johnson, Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle).”
Johnson’s absence strips Denver of one of its most reliable two-way contributors and further thins a rotation that has been stretched throughout the first half of the season.
How Cam Johnson’s Knee Injury Happened in Dallas
Johnson’s injury occurred late in Denver’s 131-130 loss in Dallas on Tuesday.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg attacked the lane and missed a runner. Flagg and Johnson both elevated for the offensive rebound. Neither secured the ball, which deflected toward Jaden Hardy.
When Johnson landed, he immediately collapsed in pain, clutching his right knee. He remained on the floor, grimacing as play continued briefly before a Nuggets timeout stopped action after Ryan Nembhard converted a mid-range jumper off a Hardy assist.
Johnson was attended to by Denver’s medical staff and eventually limped off the court under his own power. The team initially listed him as questionable with a right knee sprain, but he did not return.
Nuggets Coach David Adelman Expresses Concern
After the game, Nuggets coach David Adelman acknowledged the severity of the situation.
“It’s concerning. I haven’t heard yet,” Adelman said. “He was sitting at his locker, so we’ll find out. Obviously, imaging has to happen before anything else, but it was not a fun sight to see. Especially a guy that’s been trending so well, playing so well the last month, and he’s really found his way.
“We’ve had a lot of these moments this year. It’s deflating. Hopefully the news is better than it looked, because we know what Cam means to our team.”
Subsequent imaging revealed the bone bruise, ruling Johnson out for at least a month.
Injury Rekindles Concerns Given Johnson’s Knee History
The injury raised additional concern because of Johnson’s history.
Early in the 2022–23 season, while playing for the Phoenix Suns, Johnson tore the meniscus in his right knee — the same knee injured Tuesday. That episode cost him significant time and ultimately factored into Phoenix’s roster reshaping.
While a bone bruise is not structurally equivalent to a meniscus tear, the overlap in location adds caution to Denver’s recovery timeline.
Nuggets Face Timberwolves on Christmas Without Key Starters
GettyAaron Gordon (R) and Christian Braun of the Denver Nuggets are also out with injuries.
Denver will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day without Johnson and likely without Gordon and Braun as well.
That leaves the Nuggets searching for lineups capable of maintaining defensive versatility and offensive spacing — two areas Johnson directly supports.
Johnson has averaged 11.7 points per game on 46.1% shooting, including 42.9% from three-point range. He has started all 28 games he has played for the Nuggets, who entered the day with a 21–8 record.
Johnson is a career 39.4% three-point shooter and one of Denver’s most reliable floor spacers around Nikola Jokić, helping stretch defenses and punish rotations.
A Blow to Denver’s Continuity
With Gordon sidelined by a hamstring injury and Braun out with an ankle issue, Denver now finds itself without three starters.
That leaves the Nuggets searching not only for minutes, but for continuity.
And on a team built on chemistry, spacing and collective precision, that may be the most difficult loss of all.
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