Christian

Braun

All five Nuggets’ starters were upgraded from questionable to probable on Monday afternoon, and they’re now available. The Nuggets will roll out their usual starting five against the Rockets.

Denver’s top six players were listed on Sunday’s injury report as questionable before getting this positive upgrade on Monday. The Nuggets’ starting five and Sixth Man DeMar DeRozan are all on track to take the court against Houston in a Western Conference powerhouse showdown.

The Nuggets return from Mexico City with a crowded injury report, as all six of their top players are questionable for Monday. If Braun can’t play, Spencer Jones could start, though his playing time may not increase much since Saturday’s game was his first of the season.

Braun went crazy in the first half and hit most of his shots which led to this stat line. Braun has gotten three steals in the past three games when his career average is 0.7 steals, so expect some regression to happen. If the steals become more of a consistent appearance from Braun, there is room for him to be a useful guy in redraft leagues.

Braun’s 15 points matched his season high, and just as important for fantasy managers were the other categories. He didn’t grab any rebounds, but the assists and steals should benefit category-league managers. Braun’s coming off a disappointing 2025-26, and the Nuggets need him to bounce back if they’re to be a true contender in the West.

While injuries played a role last season, Braun’s scoring average dropped by more than three points compared to his 2024-25 output. Unfortunately, the Nuggets guard got off to a slow start on Thursday, shooting 3-of-10 from the field. Braun was active on the glass, but the overall production was disappointing.

Braun finished his preseason with a solid performance on Friday, shooting 50 percent from the field and recording a solid stat line. Like Cameron Johnson, he’s looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025-26 season. With the talent Braun is surrounded by in Denver, he’ll have every opportunity to do so as a finisher playing off of Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.

Despite being limited to 87 regular-season games over the last two seasons due to injuries. Gordon is a popular player heading into the offseason. According to Stein, the athletic forward is the veteran Nuggets player who has drawn the most trade interest from opposing teams. However, he also reported that if Denver were to make a move, they would prefer to find a trade partner for Christian Braun rather than for Gordon or Jamal Murray. Making a move would likely make it easier for the Nuggets to hold onto Peyton Watson, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the month.

After scoring 12 points in Denver’s Game 1 victory on Saturday, Braun was more productive in Game 2. However, one of the main talking points from Monday’s defeat will be his missed free throw with the Nuggets trailing by two with 19 seconds remaining. Braun would hit the second to pull Denver to within one, but having to foul allowed Minnesota to extend his lead to three. Also, he’s one of the players the Nuggets will need to step up defensively, as they struggled on that end of the floor for most of the regular season and for parts of Game 2.

Murray, Braun and Johnson will remain out for Sunday’s regular-season finale. Tyus Jones, Bruce Brown and Julian Strawther started Friday’s win over the Thunder, and all should get another start on Sunday. For those in active leagues who need scoring, Strawther may be the best option to slot into fantasy lineups.