Nuggets' Emmanuel Mudiay: Ruled out with ankle sprain

Mudiay will not play Thursday against the Wizards due to a sprained right ankle, Harrison Wind of BSN Denver reports.

Analysis:

This is the first we've heard of the injury, but Mudiay apparently rolled his ankle near the end of the first half of Wednesday's loss to the Nets. The point guard played only 18 minutes Wednesday, and while the ankle issue may have contributed to that season-low total, Mudiay's playing time had been on a steady decline over the previous three games. The No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft is shooting a dreadful 34.8 percent from the field on the season, while hitting just 26.5 percent of his three-point attempts, leading coach Mike Malone to turn to veteran Jameer Nelson and rookie Jamal Murray more often of late. In Mudiay's absence Thursday, expect to see more of both Nelson and Murray, with Nelson likely moving into the starting lineup.