The fastest way to get out of a dark tunnel is to keep going.

That’s what Cam Johnson plans on doing when he returns to the court. Denver’s starting small forward told the The Denver Gazette he doesn’t anticipate playing in Monday’s game in Utah due to a right ankle injury that forced him out of Sunday’s loss to the Timberwolves in the fourth quarter. Johnson missed all six of his shots, four from 3-point range, and finished scoreless in 23 minutes. In six games since the All-Star break, Johnson is 16 for 51 (31.4%) from the field and 8 for 30 (26.7%) from 3-point range.

“One (part) is understanding that you’ve been through it before,” a dejected Johnson said in the locker room. “(It’s) understanding that every time that you’ve felt down that you don’t really feel like you’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel — you just feel like you keep letting yourself down, letting your teammates down — every time that’s happened, I’ve been able to turn it around and get back on track some way somehow.”

First, he needs to get his right ankle right. Johnson said it’s an older problem that has lingered throughout his first season in Denver. He’s exploring different shoes or orthotics to help combat the issue.

“He did not move well today,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “Cam knows we’re out a lot of people at the wing position, so he fought through it. I think it obviously affected his game. He had a hard time moving side to side.”

It’s the latest in what’s been a challenging season for the man who turns 30 on Tuesday. He shot 31.6% from 3 in October. He rounded into his usual form from deep in November (43.9%) and December (46%) before a bone bruise on Dec. 23 cost him six weeks in the middle of the season. He returned for three games before the break and went 5 for 9 from 3.

“The most frustrating thing is just not really being able to find a consistent rhythm,” Johnson said. “It’s just feeling a little stuck.”

Being stuck isn’t the same as being stopped, something Johnson understands.

“It hasn’t knocked me out of the game completely yet. It hasn’t forced me to hang it up. It hasn’t forced me to miss every shot for the rest of my career,” Johnson said. “I just got to continue on with that trust, continue to work and forget about it.”