Christian Braun injures ankle, will miss at least 6 weeks: What this means for Denver

The Denver Nuggets have established themselves as one of the NBA’s best, most balanced teams.

But an injury to swingman Christian Braun now threatens to interrupt their momentum.

Braun suffered a sprained left ankle and will be re-evaluated in six weeks, Nuggets officials announced Friday. Although team officials did not ascribe a grade to Braun’s injury, the timetable indicates the 24-year-old starter is dealing with a relatively severe sprain.

Braun has started all 11 of Denver’s games, helping Denver open its season with a 9-2 record. The Nuggets trail the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder by two games in the Western Conference standings.

Braun is averaging 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Braun suffered his ankle sprain on Wednesday, when the Nuggets defeated the LA Clippers 130-116 at Intuit Dome. The injury occurred during the first quarter, when Braun rolled his ankle while defending against James Harden. Braun returned to the game in the second quarter, then was subbed out for good with 2:26 remaining before halftime.

While losing Braun is a difficult blow, Denver at least has significant depth at the wing spots with Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther on the roster. Power forward Aaron Gordon is more than versatile enough to play on the wing when needed.

Another reason for optimism: perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokić, who has opened this season with one of the best starts of his career, averaging 28.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game.

Six weeks from today will be Dec. 26. The Nuggets already have 17 games scheduled between now and then, with additional games on tap, either in NBA Cup play or regular-season games that will be scheduled after the NBA Cup quarterfinalists and semifinalists are determined.

Denver will play the first of its four scheduled regular-season games against Oklahoma City on Feb. 1.