Jonas Valanciunas News, Rumors, Updates - Denver Nuggets

Vintage performance in win Valanciunas ended with 23 points (9-14 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 17 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 32 minutes during Friday's 127-107 win over the Thunder.

Impact Valanciunas turned back the clock, moving into the starting lineup, as Denver opted to rest a number of its starters. Against a Thunder team that adopted the same strategy, Valanciunas was able to take full advantage, delivering his best performance of the season. While it was great to see some juice in the legs, don't expect Valanciunas to play more than about 12 minutes once the playoffs arrive.

16 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Nuggets win 11th straight, beating Thunder 127-107 in battle of reserves as playoffs approach

Jonas Valanciunas had season highs of 23 points and 17 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-107 in a battle of reserves

17 HOURS AGO • Associated Press

Starting against Oklahoma City Valanciunas will start in Friday's game against Oklahoma City, Justin Martinez of The Oklahomanreports.

Impact With Nikola Jokic (wrist) sitting out, Valanciunas will start for the first time since the 128-125 win over the Jazz on March 2. In five starts during the 2025-26 campaign, the 33-year-old has averaged 14.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.6 steals across 23.6 minutes.

20 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Scores efficient 14 points Valanciunas racked up 14 points (6-6 FG, 2-3 FT), four rebounds and two blocks in 13 minutes during Wednesday's 136-119 win over the Grizzlies.

Impact It was an incredibly efficient outing by Valanciunas, who has managed to total 48 points in just 42 minutes covering his past four appearances. The veteran center still hasn't logged at least 15 minutes since the March 17 win over the 76ers, and Aaron Gordon has effectively taken most of the backup center minutes while also serving as Denver's starting power forward.

2 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Jokic has his 34th triple-double, Nuggets beat the Grizzlies 136-119 for 10th straight win

Nikola Jokic had 14 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his 34th triple-double of the season, and Denver beat the Memphis Grizzlies 136-119 on Wednesday night for the Nuggets’ 1...

2 DAYS AGO • Associated Press

Jamal Murray makes 10 3-pointers, including a half-court heave, to lead Nuggets past Jazz 130-117

Jamal Murray made 10 3-pointers including a half-court heave and scored 37 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 130-117 victory over the Utah Jazz

APRIL 2 • Associated Press

Left out of rotation Friday Valanciunas (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Friday's 121-115 win over the Raptors.

Impact Heading into Friday, Valanciunas' spot in the Denver rotation appeared to be tenuous, as the veteran center had logged seven minutes or fewer in five of the Nuggets' previous seven contests. With Friday's contest proving to be tightly contested throughout, Nuggets head coach David Adelman finally pulled the plug on Valanciunas, who was handed his first DNP-CD of the season. Valanciunas' odds of re-emerging in the rotation will only grow dimmer moving forward, as the imminent return of Peyton Watson (hamstring) could result in Aaron Gordon logging more minutes as a small-ball center whenever starter Nikola Jokic is off the court.

MARCH 21 • ROTOWIRE

Stuck in reserve role Valanciunas posted eight points (3-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-6 FT), nine rebounds and one assist across 19 minutes during Tuesday's 124-96 victory over Philadelphia.

Impact The minutes and boards were both the veteran big man's most since the Feb. 3 loss in Detroit. As long as Nikola Jokic is healthy for the Nuggets, Valanciunas should remain stuck in the No. 2 center spot with limited fantasy upside. Valanciunas has averaged 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 8.2 minutes per contest in his last seven games, shooting 56.5 percent from the field.

MARCH 18 • ROTOWIRE

Knicks rout the Nuggets 142-103 as Denver guard Murray leaves with a sprained ankle

OG Anunoby powered the New York Knicks to a 142-103 win over the Nuggets as Denver lost Jamal Murray to a sprained ankle Friday night

MARCH 7 • Associated Press

Nuggets' Murray hobbles off with a ankle injury just before halftime against the Knicks

All-Star guard Jamal Murray left the Denver Nuggets’ game against the New York Knicks after he hurt his left ankle just before halftime Friday night

MARCH 7 • Associated Press

Coming off bench Thursday Valanciunas is not in the Nuggets' starting lineup against the Lakers on Friday, Trevor Lane of LakersNation.com reports.

Impact Valanciunas was in the Nuggets' starting five in Monday's 128-125 win over the Jazz, when he finished with 13 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal over 17 minutes. He'll revert to a bench role for Thursday's contest while Zeke Nnaji starts alongside Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther and Nikola Jokic.

MARCH 6 • ROTOWIRE

Logs 13 points in starting role Valanciunas logged 13 points (4-6 FG, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, one assist and one steal over 17 minutes during Monday's 128-125 victory over the Jazz.

Impact Valanciunas played in unfamiliar territory Monday night, as he ran with the first unit at the four alongside Nikola Jokic. Valanciunas lacks the floor-stretching ability of other big men who can roam beyond the baseline, but the Nuggets made the call given numerous injuries throughout the roster. Putting Valanciunas and Jokic together can make sense down the stretch to give Denver a size advantage up front, so there could be repeat appearances of this scheme until Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Peyton Watson (hamstring) can return to action.

MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE

Jamal Murray's 45 points help Nuggets beat the Jazz 128-125

Jamal Murray scored 45 points and made the go-ahead free throws with 31.8 seconds remaining to help the Denver Nuggets hold off the depleted Utah Jazz 128-125

MARCH 3 • Associated Press

Drawing rare start Valanciunas is starting Monday's game against the Jazz.

Impact Valanciunas will draw his first start since Jan. 29 due to the absences of Cameron Johnson (ankle) and Spencer Jones (shoulder). Valanciunas is averaging 15.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 blocks in his previous four starts.

MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE

Limited role continues Valanciunas amassed 11 points (5-7 FG, 1-1 3Pt), six rebounds, two assists and one block in 12 minutes during Wednesday's 103-84 victory over the Celtics.

Impact Valanciunas continues to log around 12 minutes per night on a consistent basis, having hit that very mark in four straight games. With Nikola Jokic back steering the ship, Valanciunas is merely a backup now, averaging 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds during that four-game span.

FEBRUARY 26 • ROTOWIRE

Jokic has 30 points and 12 rebounds in the Nuggets' 103-84 win over the Celtics

Nikola Jokic had 30 points and 12 rebounds on a rough shooting night to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Boston Celtics 103-84 on Wednesday

FEBRUARY 26 • Associated Press

Mathurin scores 38 points in his Clippers home debut in 115-114 win over the Nuggets

Bennedict Mathurin scored 38 points in his home debut for Los Angeles and the Clippers held off the Denver Nuggets 115-114 on Thursday night

FEBRUARY 20 • Associated Press

Nuggets mourn Doug Moe, the motion-offense pioneer who helped change the NBA

The Denver Nuggets are honoring late coach Doug Moe while pushing to steady their season amid injuries

FEBRUARY 18 • Associated Press

Donovan Mitchell, James Harden rally Cavaliers to 119-117 win over Nuggets

Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, including two free throws with 0.9 seconds left after James Harden’s tying 3-pointer, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the Denver Nugg...

FEBRUARY 10 • Associated Press

Double-double in 22 minutes Valanciunas chipped in 11 points (4-4 FG, 3-5 FT), 11 rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal across 22 minutes during Tuesday's 124-121 loss to the Pistons.

Impact Valanciunas recorded his third double-double of the season, even sharing the court with Nikola Jokic for a period. Since Jokic made his return, Valanciunas has seen his role regress, serving almost exclusively as the backup center. While this was an encouraging performance, it's hard to label Valanciunas as a must-roster player, especially given what we saw from him earlier in the season. For now, treat him like a stream option if you need rebounds.

FEBRUARY 4 • ROTOWIRE

"We were bumping right into him, and our journey was over" - Jonas Valanciunas remembers LeBron's dominance over the Raptors Valanciunas remembers how LeBron dominated the Raptors in the playoffs for three straight years.

FEBRUARY 2 • BASKETBALLNETWORK.NET

Nuggets' Jamal Murray earns first All-Star berth in ninth NBA season

Jamal Murray has earned his first career All-Star berth in his ninth NBA season

FEBRUARY 2 • Associated Press

Won't start Friday Valanciunas won't start against the Clippers on Friday.

Impact With Nikola Jokic (knee) back in the lineup, Valanciunas will retreat to the bench. The veteran big man has averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game over 32 appearances off the bench this season.

JANUARY 31 • ROTOWIRE

Good to go Friday Valanciunas (calf) is available for Friday's game against the Clippers.

Impact As expected, Valanciunas will shed his probable tag and suit up Friday. The veteran big man has appeared in four outings following an extended absence due to a calf strain. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.7 points. 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.0 minutes per tilt. However, with Nikola Jokic (knee) back in the lineup, Valanciunas will likely see fewer minutes.

JANUARY 31 • ROTOWIRE

Probable for Friday Valanciunas (calf) is probable for Friday's game against the Clippers.

Impact Valanciunas is expected to play through another probable tag related to his calf injury. He may see a reduced role, however, as Nikola Jokic (knee) is expected back in the lineup Friday.

JANUARY 30 • ROTOWIRE

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