Nuggets' Will Barton out for 'Foreseeable Future' Because of Hamstring Injury

The Denver Nuggets expect to miss guard Will Barton for the foreseeable future because of a hamstring sprain, head coach Michael Malone told reporters Saturday. 

Barton suffered the injury in the first quarter of the Nuggets' 118-97 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the night. Malone called the strain "pretty significant" and did not lay out a timetable for his return. 

In a tweet Saturday, Barton called the injury a "lil setback" and said he expects to be back this season. 

With only 12 games left on the Nuggets' schedule after Saturday's contest against the Houston Rockets, Barton would need to heal quickly to get back on the floor before the postseason. 

Through 56 games, the Memphis alum is averaging 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Western Conference contender. Denver is clinging to the No. 4 seed with a 38-21 record, six games back of the Utah Jazz for first place. 

Led by MVP candidate Nikola Jokic up front, the Nuggets are quickly running out of backcourt depth as Barton joins Monte Morris (hamstring) and Jamal Murray on the injury report. Murray is done for the rest of the year after suffering a torn ACL earlier this month. 

Look for Austin Rivers, Shaq Harrison, PJ Dozier and Markus Howard to earn a bit more playing time while Barton is out as Denver tries to get its lineup as healthy as possible for the playoffs.