Christian Braun jinxed himself last week.
Try as he might to keep the streak alive, it was bound to end eventually. On Monday night in Sacramento, Braun was ruled out with a strained lower back one hour before opening tip, snapping his run of 122 consecutive games played dating back to the 2023 playoffs.
The 23-year-old shooting guard has developed into a staple of the Nuggets’ lineup on a nightly basis only two years and change into his career.
“My goal is to be out there every game,” Braun said the previous Thursday, after a practice at Ball Arena. “I think everybody knows that. I don’t want to jinx it. I haven’t missed a game (for an injury) in a long time. Even back to college. And sometimes you have bumps and bruises, and maybe you don’t feel like it that day. But you’ve gotta be ready to play when it’s time to play. So that’s my biggest goal: Just be out there every single night. Be available every single night.
“That’s what I owe to this team. That’s what I owe to everybody who’s believed in me. That’s why I owe to the front office, the coaches, everybody who comes to watch. Fans. Family.”
Before his back got in the way, his quad almost did. Braun was listed as questionable to play two weekends ago in Washington, but coach Michael Malone admitted before the game that he expected Braun to play.
“That guy is just one big muscle,” Malone said.
The wear and tear is a package deal with learning how to be an everyday NBA starter, as Braun sees it. He played through injuries during his second season. Now in his third, he’s averaging 14.5 more minutes per game.
“Trying to get a recovery plan after every game,” he said. “Sometimes last year I didn’t need to get in the ice bath after the game, but I need to make it a routine where I’m in it every single day (now), where I’m in the Normatec boots every single night. Getting to sleep earlier. Those things. … I’ve gotta pick Russ (Westbrook’s) brain because it seems like Russ has energy every single day.”
Entering Denver’s matchup with the Trail Blazers on Thursday, Braun has now sat out eight games in his professional career, including the playoffs. He had an iron man season in 2023-24. The seven games he missed as a rookie were rotational decisions rather than injury-forced absences. He has appeared in 96.4% of the Nuggets’ games in the last three seasons.
And still, Braun was self-critical about his body maintenance last week, as if foreseeing a night he would have to miss on the horizon.
“I need to be better with my recovery,” he said. “And that’s a learning process. I need to learn a new routine. New way to play 35 minutes a night. Play 35 minutes a night, still get better as an individual, still win games, still play winning basketball, and put all that together. And I wouldn’t say it’s been a struggle, but I’m gonna continue to learn.
“There are going to be times my body goes through really good moments, and there (have) been times where it hasn’t been so good. But that’s no excuse. I’ve gotta be out there 35 minutes, 40 minutes. Whatever it is.”
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