NBA Injury · New Orleans Pelicans

Is DeAndre Jordan playing Wednesday vs the Nuggets?

By IsHePlayingToday Staff · Updated Oct 25, 2026

He played on Saturday — and started, against his old team. Whether DeAndre Jordan starts again on Wednesday is still open, and it comes down to one knee: Yves Missi's.

Jordan got the surprise start for New Orleans in Denver on Saturday night after Missi was ruled out with a left knee bone bruise. The Nuggets won the game 141-135 in overtime, but the bigger question for the rematch is unchanged: if Missi is still out on Wednesday, Jordan is the man most likely to fill the spot again. The Pelicans just have not said so yet.

How Jordan got the start on Saturday

It started on Friday night in Utah. Midway through the second quarter of the Pelicans' 120-119 loss to the Jazz, Zion Williamson drove to the basket, got challenged, and fell into Missi's left leg. Missi went down near the baseline, could not put weight on the leg, and had to be helped to the locker room. He finished the night with six points in nine minutes and did not return.

On Saturday, the Pelicans got the news they were hoping for and dreading at the same time: an MRI confirmed a bone bruise in Missi's left knee — a contusion, not something more severe — but there is no set timetable for his return. He was ruled out for the Denver game, and the team said his next chance to suit up would come in Wednesday's rematch.

That left head coach Jamahl Mosley with a hole at center and two ways to fill it. He could go with Derik Queen, the younger, more productive scorer off the bench, or with Jordan, the veteran who had not played a minute in the Pelicans' first two games of the season. Mosley picked Jordan. The thinking, as NBC Sports put it, was simple: Jordan gives you better defense than Queen, and against Nikola Jokic, that matters more than a few extra points.

What happened in the game

Jordan started alongside Jeremiah Fears, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson. He played 20 minutes in the 141-135 overtime loss. Queen, coming off the bench, played 24 minutes and was the more productive of the two, with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and two assists.

The game itself was a wild one. New Orleans shot nearly 66 percent in the first half and led by 23, but Denver clawed back behind Jokic and Jamal Murray, who combined for 22 of the Nuggets' 32 third-quarter points. Murray finished with 42, Jokic had 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists — his 199th career triple-double — and rookie Trevon Brazille hit the corner three that put Denver ahead for good in overtime.

For the Pelicans, Murphy led the way with 26 points, Dejounte Murray had 22, and Queen and Williamson scored 17 each. The loss dropped New Orleans to 0-3 under first-year coach Mosley. Denver, meanwhile, was short-handed too: the Nuggets played without Cam Johnson (ankle) and Alpha Diallo (sprained wrist), and were still missing Julian Strawther and Spencer Jones.

What it means for Wednesday

The two teams meet again on Wednesday, October 28, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, with tip-off at 8:00 PM ET. The game airs on Gulf Coast Sports in the New Orleans market, ALT2 and KTVD in Denver, and on NBA League Pass for everyone else.

Everything about Jordan's role that night runs through Missi. If the third-year center is cleared, he walks straight back into the starting five — he opened the season with 13 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals against Indiana, and he is the Pelicans' starting center when healthy. If he is still out, Jordan is the natural pick to start again, with Queen and Karlo Matkovic picking up the rest of the center minutes off the bench.

Do not lock anything in before the game-day injury report lands. NBA teams update status through the day, and the starting five usually is not confirmed until close to tip-off. If you are setting a lineup or planning to watch, check the Pelicans' report on Wednesday afternoon — that is when you will get the real answer on Missi, and by extension on Jordan.

What it means for your fantasy lineup

Keep it simple: Jordan is not a streaming target, even if he starts again. Across seven starts last season he averaged 3.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, and on Saturday he played fewer minutes than Queen while scoring less. If Missi stays out, Queen is the name to chase — he should see a boost in minutes, and he already showed on Saturday what he does with them. Jordan's value here is real-life defense against Jokic, not fantasy points.

The verdict

Jordan played on Saturday, and he started — that part is settled. Wednesday is not. The Pelicans have not announced a starter for the rematch, and they will not until Missi's knee tells them what to do. If Missi sits again, expect Jordan to get the nod for the same reason he got it in Denver: experience and defense at the five. But until the team says it, treat Wednesday as undecided, and check the game-day report before you act on it.