Things have been going well for the Denver Nuggets, as they sit second in the Western Conference playoff picture at the midway point of the NBA season. However, they’re about to be without their starting point guard for a while. Jamal Murray injured his ankle during the Nuggets’ win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night and though X-rays on the ankle were negative, he’s going to miss some time due to the injury, according to Nuggets coach Mike Malone. 

Murray didn’t travel to California for the team’s contest against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. Monte Morris got the starting nod in Murray’s absence. 

“He’ll be out for the foreseeable future, obviously,” Malone said of Murray, via ESPN. “We kept some of those guys home instead of having them travel … Just trying to allow them more rehab time, try to get them back as quickly as possible. So right now, no real update, other than we don’t expect him back for a little bit.”  

The injury occurred during the second quarter of the game against the Hornets as Murray tried to block a Terry Rozier three-point attempt from the corner. Murray landed awkwardly and fell to the floor, where he remained briefly before he was carried off by teammates. You can see the play below: 

The loss is a tough one for the Nuggets, as Murray is the team’s second-leading scorer on the season with an average of 17.6 points per game. He’s also adding 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per performance. The West is extremely competitive, and the longer Murray is out, the tougher it will be for Denver to hold on to its postseason positioning.