Nuggets news: Michael Porter Jr. faces additional quarantine, return date in question

Michael Porter Jr. did not join the Denver Nuggets once again on Thursday night as Denver hosted the Dallas Mavericks in the West.

Michael Porter Jr. did not join the Denver Nuggets once again on Thursday night as Denver hosted the Dallas Mavericks. The 22-year-old has been away from the team for a week due to the league's contact tracing protocol amid COVID-19. Porter was expected to join the team on Wednesday but due to recent developments, the forward was still unavailable to play come Thursday.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Porter will now be facing an additional quarantine period of 10-14 days after his initial 7-day quarantine period, per league sources.

Porter Jr. finished a seven-day quarantine this week due to contact tracing protocols, and now faces an additional quarantine period in the 10 to 14-day range, sources said. https://t.co/4Wc0sMjKp6

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2021

Ahead of their matchup against the Mavs, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone also confirmed the status of his starting forward.

“Michael Porter is not with our team right now because of COVID protocols. … This is going to take a lot of dedicated hard work by all of us to continue to stay together, educate and find ways to improve ourselves as well as our communities and this nation.” Malone said to Nuggets reporters (via The Gazette).

Prior to sitting out the last four games of Denver, Porter was rolling as the Nuggets' starting forward. He exploded for a season-high of 30 points and 10 rebounds in their last 2020 game against the Sacramento Kings. MPJ has taken full advantage of the starting nod so far with an average of 19.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 protocols have rained on his parade and he'll have to patiently wait before he's allowed back. The Nuggets are hoping that Porter picks up where he left off once he joins the team in a few weeks time.

The Nuggets lost some key role-player pieces from last season's team. They are trying to make the relevant adjustments which will give them the best possible chance of returning to the Western Conference Finals and maintaining their place as a frontline West contender alongside the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.