If you thought commercial airlines had issues, talk to the Nuggets about chartered jets.
The Nuggets’ departure from Minneapolis after their 106-92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night was delayed several hours because of a mechanical problem. The Nuggets didn’t arrive in Denver until after 4 a.m.
“We were supposed to get in at 12, 12:30,” Carmelo Anthony said.
The Nuggets played in Minneapolis 2 1/2 hours before the Indiana Pacers played Seattle on Friday night. But the Pacers arrived in Denver for Saturday’s game at the Pepsi Center about 45 minutes before the Nuggets.
“The safety of everyone on board is our primary concern,” Nuggets director of media relations Eric Sebastian said. “So we’ll gladly sacrifice a couple hours of sleep to make sure the plane is right.”
Hodge vs. Sanchez
The Nuggets optioned guard Julius Hodge to the Colorado 14ers of the NBADL on Friday.
The former first-round draft pick from North Carolina State is expected to play against Idaho tonight. He worked out Saturday at the Broomfield Event Center and is expected to be with the 14ers about 30 days.
Ricky Sanchez, the Nuggets’ 2005 second-round pick, plays for Idaho. In five games, the 6-foot-11 forward is averaging 8.4 points and 6.0 rebounds and shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range.
Harrison still hurting
Indiana center David Harrison, a former Colorado star, missed his 10th consecutive game because of a sore left shoulder he injured while stretching.
“I stretched it a little too much and it just slipped out of place,” Harrison said. “I sprained my (shoulder) joint. It was a freak accident. I was sitting there doing it and one of my teammates said my facial expression changed completely. I’ve been out for a week and half since.”
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said of Harrison: “He’s trimmed down now. He’s in the low 270s. He’s in great shape. In the preseason he played well, although he didn’t have great numbers. He is always going to shoot 55, 60 percent from the field and give you a low-post presence. We feel like he’s an important part of our team, and we’ve missed him.”
Footnotes
Denver’s Nene has missed 11 consecutive games because of a right knee contusion. Asked if he would play Wednesday against Atlanta, Nene said, “I have no answer. My knee doesn’t feel good yet.” …
Denver’s Joe Smith missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle.
