Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. will be active and play against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Porter, 22, has been out due to the league’s Health and Safety protocol since Dec. 29 and has missed Denver’s last 10 games. Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Thursday that Porter had to clear a cardio exam to return to play from the protocols.
Denver selected Porter with the 14th pick in 2018. He sat out the 2018-19 season because of a back injury but played a big role in Denver advancing to the Western Conference finals last season inside the NBA bubble.
Porter has flashed his potential earlier this season as he averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in the four games he played.
As the Nuggets (7-7) start a five-game road swing at Phoenix, they are eager to see what they can do at full strength with Porter back.
“We are on the right path, now that we are back to a full team,” power forward JaMychal Green said Thursday. “Once [Porter] gets to jell with us and we get that chemistry with him, I think we will be unstoppable.”
ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and The Associated Press contributed to this report.