With the playoffs looming, Nuggets guard Andre Miller admits he is a little worried about a lot of things.
Worried about the team’s health. Worried about the team being tired. Worried about being ready for the postseason.
The Nuggets held on for a 95-92 victory Saturday night over the draft lottery-bound Golden State Warriors at the Pepsi Center. Denver (43-34) is one win or one Utah (37-39) loss from clinching its first division title since 1988.
Despite the win that clinched at least a tie for the Northwest Division crown, the fatigued and battered Nuggets didn’t seem too celebratory.
“We’re just tired, that’s all it is,” Miller said. “Injuries. Beat up. You don’t know who is going to be on the court. We haven’t been playing the greatest of basketball. But hopefully guys can get healthy and ready for a decent run in the playoffs.”
Also weighing on the Nuggets’ mind was teammate Julius Hodge.
The seldom-used rookie suffered three gunshot wounds early Saturday morning but is expected to fully recover. Teammate DerMarr Johnson wore a headband in tribute to Hodge with “Jules” and his No. 32 on it. Several players visited Hodge at Swedish Hospital before the game.
“It was tough this morning,” said center Marcus Camby, who had 17 rebounds and eight blocks. “After going there and spending like two hours with him, he was laughing and joking and in good spirits. That was good to see.”
The Nuggets were without forwards Kenyon Martin (knee) and Eduardo Najera (foot). But the struggling Warriors (30-46) entered the game with seven straight losses and were without their star backcourt of Jason Richardson (knee) and Baron Davis (ankle).
The uninspired Nuggets missed 19-of-40 free throws and were outscored 52-43 in the second half. Forward Carmelo Anthony, who scored a game-high 28 points, hit two free throws with 1:05 left for a 93-90 lead that sealed the game.
“It was an ugly win but a good win,” Anthony said. “Any win is a good win.”
Said Warriors forward Mike Dunleavy: “It’s who makes plays. We lucked out a little bit because they missed quite a few free throws. If that’s the way you’ve got to do it, that’s the way you’ve got to do it.”
The Nuggets likely will get the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs by winning the Northwest Division, but won’t get home-court advantage in the first round unless they have a better record than their foe. The likely opponent will be the Los Angeles Clippers (44-31) or the Memphis Grizzlies (44-32), who are fighting for the fifth seed.
Even with all the drama and the high stakes, coach George Karl isn’t worried.
“I mean, how can you predict this basketball team?” Karl said. “This team has had so many adverse situations. When we’re not supposed to play good, we play good. When we have a big win, we let down.
“There is some immaturity to our psyche. But in the same sense, we have a pretty tough bunch of guys.”
Staff writer Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
