Two very different paths cross in Denver on Monday night. The defending-champion-level Nuggets, cruising at 20-7, host a 10-17 Utah team searching for firm footing. The injury picture has been the story line all day. The final NBA report swung one of the biggest calls of the night: Lauri Markkanen is cleared to play, while center Walker Kessler remains out with a long shoulder timeline.

That update shifts the tone of a matchup already leaning Denver’s way. The line sits at Nuggets -12.5 with a sky-high total of 250.5. Tip is 9:00 PM ET at Ball Arena, where Nikola Jokic tends to bend the game to his will.

Final injury report: Markkanen cleared, Kessler still out

Official NBA documents updated at 12:45 PM ET and again at 4:00 PM ET tell the story. Markkanen began the day listed as Questionable with a groin issue. By the late report, he was marked Available. That’s a huge swing for Utah’s offense.

On the other side of the ledger, the Jazz frontcourt remains shorthanded. As team updates noted, “Kessler is battling with a shoulder injury, and he is likely to miss the remainder of the season.” That absence removes Utah’s best pure rim protector and a reliable rebounder.

There were other moving parts, too. Some players on both teams landed on the report for illness, rest, minor sprains or strains, and G League assignments. One Utah note summed up the uncertainty well: “Anderson sat out the last game due to personal reasons, and it remains to be seen if he will be available against the Nuggets on Monday.”

“Markkanen playing changes the mood, but Kessler being out changes the math.”

Why it matters: rim protection, size, and Jokic’s pressure

Denver presents a simple but brutal test: can you protect the rim and survive Jokic’s pace control? Without Kessler, that answer is harder for Utah. As one preview put it, “With Walker Kessler out and Lauri Markkanen questionable, the Jazz can get thin in the two areas you absolutely cannot be thin against the Nuggets: rim protection and size that can punish switching.” Even though Markkanen is now in, the size issue on defense remains.

Jokic has a way of making small mistakes look huge. He slows the game when it helps Denver, then speeds it up when they have numbers. The summary of this matchup captured it well: Monday’s game “features Nikola Jokic controlling tempo for the Nuggets.” That’s a big reason Denver’s margin for error feels wide.

Markkanen’s load: the All-Star returns to center stage

Markkanen’s season so far is the bright spot for the Jazz. He’s averaging 27.8 points and 7.0 rebounds on 46.9% shooting. He can space, cut, and hit tough shots late in the clock. Against Denver, his gravity matters. It pulls help away from the lane and can open cleaner drives for guards and wings.

But Utah needs Markkanen’s scoring and some answers at the rim. Without Kessler, the Jazz may have to choose between staying big with less spacing or going small and hoping to scramble with effort and help rotations. That’s a delicate balance against Jokic, who punishes over-help with pinpoint passes and easy layups for teammates.

“If Utah can’t guard the paint, threes won’t matter—Denver will live at the rim.”

Odds and over/under: what the market is saying

The market is decisive: Denver -12.5. That number respects the Nuggets’ form and home court and bakes in Utah’s frontcourt issues. The total at 250.5 hints at a game with efficient offense and plenty of free throws and paint touches. It also nods to Denver’s ability to post big scoring quarters at home.

Markkanen’s availability is a bump for the Jazz’s scoring outlook. He can carry a quarter by himself and draw fouls when the offense stalls. On the flip side, Kessler’s absence could juice Denver’s two-point efficiency, which nudges the total upward. The tension, as always with the Nuggets, is that Jokic can slow things to a crawl and still get to 30 team points in a quarter by stacking high-value shots.

“That 250.5 total is daring both teams to hit every shot in altitude.”

Rotation ripples: who steps up around the stars?

Both teams list players out or doubtful for reasons ranging from illness to rest to G League assignments. Those names matter in the margins. For Utah, the secondary bigs and wings will decide whether they can survive the minutes when Markkanen sits and the minutes when Jokic stays on. Physicality on the glass and foul discipline are the two checkpoints.

Keep an eye on that “Anderson” note from Utah’s previous game. If he’s available, it adds a steady hand and some size to the rotation. If not, the Jazz may need to steal minutes with smaller lineups and double-team schemes. That’s risky against Denver’s ball movement, but it may be the only way to protect the rim without Kessler.

Game script to watch at Ball Arena

• If Utah holds up on the defensive glass early, they can keep it within reach and give Markkanen late-game shots.
• If Denver wins the rim battle and piles up free throws, the Nuggets can build a double-digit cushion by halftime.
• Turnovers will be huge. Jokic turns live-ball mistakes into layups and open threes.

For the Jazz, a clean first quarter is the path. For the Nuggets, it’s about patience and pressure—feed Jokic, cut behind the ball, and wear down a short-handed front line.

The bottom line

We end where the final report leaves us: Markkanen is in, Kessler is out. That’s the headline. It gives Utah a scoring star but takes away their best rim body. Against Denver, that trade-off usually favors the team in blue and gold.

Still, this is why the ball goes up. If the Jazz limit fouls, hit open threes, and get a big Markkanen night, they can make it a game. If Jokic controls the pace and the paint, the favorite and the spread will make sense. The answers arrive at 9:00 PM ET under the lights at Ball Arena.