Denver Nuggets starting small forward Will Barton suffered a right hip and core strain, the team announced Monday.
It’s a significant but not devastating injury for a Nuggets core that has harped on continuity and cohesiveness. Barton, entering his seventh season in the NBA, had finally earned a fulltime starting role before suffering the injury on a third quarter layup against Phoenix on Saturday evening.
The team did not release any other information regarding the injury. Barton, who had an MRI on Sunday, acknowledged he heard a pop when he took off for the layup.