Danilo Gallinari ruled out for Tuesday's game

Gallinari (ankle) will sit out Tuesday's game against the Lakers, Harrison Wind of BSN Denver reports.

Analysis:

Gallinari is dealing with a left ankle sprain, and with the Nuggets set to play the first half of a back-to-back set, coach Mike Malone will rest his star with the hope that he'll recover in time for Wednesday's tilt with the Suns. The absence of Gallinari should allow Will Barton to earn a few more minutes while functioning as the Nuggets' top offensive option, but it's possible that Malone could still keep Barton on the bench to start the game in order to maintain continuity with the top unit. If that's the case, Kostas Papanikolaou could enter the starting lineup for Gallinari, though he likely wouldn't see nearly as much playing time as Barton.