CLEVELAND — New year, new injury update from the Nuggets.
Jonas Valanciunas will be out for at least four weeks with a right calf strain, the team announced Thursday.
Valanciunas, 33, was making his first start of the season Wednesday in place of the injured Nikola Jokic when he pulled up with a limp during the third quarter. He had 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks when he left the game, an eventual win over his former team in Toronto. He left the arena in a walking boot.
The Lithuanian backup center was just beginning to take on an increased role with Jokic entering a month-long recovery period from a bone bruise on his knee. Now, the tallest player available on Denver’s roster going into Friday’s game at Cleveland is Zeke Nnaji (6-foot-10).
Coach David Adelman used DaRon Holmes II (6-9) as the next center up in Toronto. In his first NBA rotation minutes, Holmes went for 11 points and three rebounds in the win over the Raptors.