Nuggets' Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. 'unlikely' to return for playoffs

Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. will both miss the Nuggets‘ final regular-season game on Sunday, and sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic they are “unlikely to return to action during the postseason."

Murray, who hasn’t played since suffering an ACL tear last April, is “very close in his process,” Charania adds. Murray will be permitted to make the final decision on when he’s ready to return, and Charania notes that both players have full support from the entire team.

Charania cautions that neither Murray nor Porter has been officially ruled out, suggesting their statuses could change if they make significant improvement.

In response to Charania’s report, Mike Singer of The Denver Post notes that Murray was telling people on Thursday that he “did not know” whether he might be ready for the playoffs. Singer adds that Murray teased making a statement to reporters at Saturday’s practice, which was taken as a sign that he may soon have positive news to share.

Murray was having a career-best scoring season at 21.2 points per game when he suffered the injury nearly a full year ago. There have been hopeful reports regarding his status in recent days, but no firm indication on whether he’ll attempt to take the court in the playoffs.

Porter played just nine games this season before undergoing lumbar spine surgery in November. He reportedly suffered a “minor setback” in his rehab process last week.