Nuggets' Austin Rivers Cleared After Being Hospitalized for Allergic Reaction

Denver Nuggets veteran point guard Austin Rivers had to be hospitalized after an allergic reaction Monday night, head coach Michael Malone told reporters Tuesday.

Malone described it as a "scary incident" in which Rivers struggled to breathe, but he's recovered enough to be cleared to play in Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Rivers re-signed with the Nuggets this offseason after joining the team last April. In 28 appearances this year, he's averaging a career-low 5.8 points in 20.2 minutes per game.

A first-round pick out of Duke in 2012, Rivers has played for six NBA teams and has a career average of 8.9 points. He hasn't averaged more than 10 points in a season since 2017-18 with the Clippers, which was his last year playing under his father and current Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers.

Denver has a 20-18 record and won its last two games entering Tuesday's contest against the Clippers. The Nuggets have been without point guard Jamal Murray for the entire season as he recovers from a torn ACL. Promising young small forward Michael Porter Jr. has been limited to just nine games because of a back injury.

While Denver has struggled to find consistency, reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic continues to play at a very high level. He leads the team in every statistical category with averages of 25.8 points, 14.2 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks. Jokic is on a run of eight consecutive double-doubles entering Tuesday.