After sustaining injuries on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver Nuggets shared some unfortunate news regarding the health of Christian Braun and Cam Johnson.

Braun suffered a left ankle sprain that will keep him out for at least six weeks.

The injury occurred late in the first quarter with Braun guarding James Harden, who stepped on Braun’s right foot and caused Braun to overbalance on his left side. Braun was in clear pain during the play and exited immediately. He attempted to return to the game later, but he displayed pain and discomfort the entire time and was ultimately taken off the floor soon after.

Six weeks places Braun’s possible timetable for a return right around Christmas. The Nuggets play the Minnesota Timberwolves that night at Ball Arena before embarking on a seven-game road trip across the East coast. If Braun were to travel with the team on that trip, it would be a good sign.

Still, Denver just played their 11th game of the season, and that matchup against the Timberwolves in Game 28. There will also be Games 29 and 30 that are added to the schedule in mid December after the NBA Cup Group Stage wraps up. That means Braun will probably miss, at minimum, 18 games. Braun’s health and durability have long been exceptional for the Nuggets, so not having him over roughly a quarter of the season will be a significant loss.

In addition to Braun’s absence, the Nuggets will be without Cam Johnson for at least Saturday’s game against the Timberwolves (they keep cropping up). He was ruled out after suffering what is being labeled as a right bicep strain on the Nuggets injury report, an injury that he also suffered in the first quarter against the Clippers.

Without knowing the severity of the strain, it’s impossible to determine how many games Johnson will miss. That Denver didn’t feel the need to provide a standalone update on his status is probably a good sign; however, it’s still too early to tell without hearing from head coach David Adelman about the severity.

Oh, and Nikola Jokic is also questionable with a left wrist strain, if things weren’t already bad enough.

Without Braun and Johnson on Saturday, the Nuggets’ wing depth will be tested. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Spencer Jones started the second half of Wednesday’s game, and there’s a possibility that they’re the starters going forward. Bruce Brown and Peyton Watson will almost assuredly get some looks as well. Julian Strawther, who’s been out of the rotation for most of the season, will certainly get some opportunities in the coming days to play.

The Nuggets will probably be fine. Injuries happen, and they still have their core group of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon intact. Still, the more injuries that pile up, the more pressure gets applied to everyone involved. The Nuggets will need to find some new combinations and lineups, and perhaps some unexpected contributions, to keep thriving without two starters on the floor.