Nuggets' Lawson out Friday, Nurkic returns from ankle injury

The Denver Nuggets caught a break with the Golden State Warriors resting players for their matchup Friday, but the Nuggets will be without starting point guard Ty Lawson due to an illness.

The good news, however, is that rookie big man Jusuf Nurkic will return to the lineup after missing the last eight games with a sprained right ankle.

Nurkic severely sprained the ankle on Feb. 25 and needed to be carted off the court in a wheelchair.

Nurkic averaged 7.2 points and 6.7 rebounds through his first 45 games.

Lawson, whose 9.7 assists per game rank third in the league, is also averaging 15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals for the Nuggets, with the team performing 7.1 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court as opposed to on the bench.