Barring the unpredictable, Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony will be back Jan. 22.
The NBA announced Tuesday that the Dec. 20 game against Phoenix that was postponed because of a blizzard was rescheduled for Feb. 5 at the Pepsi Center. Anthony was expected to return Jan. 20 from a 15-game suspension for throwing a punch in a game at New York on Dec. 16, but the rescheduled Phoenix game pushed his return to Jan. 22 against visiting Memphis. Nuggets guard J.R. Smith will return Jan. 10 against San Antonio from a 10-game suspension for fighting at New York.
Anthony, who is averaging an NBA-best 31.6 points, hopes the suspension won’t damage his hopes of making his first NBA All-Star Game appearance. He will have to be voted in as a Western Conference all- star as a reserve by the West’s coaches. The reserves announcement is Feb. 1.
“All I can have is hope,” Anthony said. “We shall see what happens. I think I will still have enough time when I get back.”
When asked if he needed to campaign for Anthony to the West coaches, Nuggets coach George Karl said: “It’s early for me to think about that. My concern is how we keep him on the edge of special when he’s not playing. That’s not easy to do.”
To stay special, Anthony said he and Smith have been doing extra shooting on non-game nights at the Pepsi Center. Anthony also said he plans to aid his conditioning by taking boxing classes during his layoff.
“I’m ready to start some boxing classes,” Anthony said. “I did it during the summertime just for my stamina. It really helps with stamina, plus it gets stress out, too, on the punching bag. At least I can hit something I can’t get in trouble with.”
Footnotes
Nuggets center Marcus Camby missed his second straight game Tuesday against Boston with a broken fourth metacarpal in his right hand. But Karl said Camby could return as early as Thursday against Seattle. Camby had “a lot discomfort” when he shot the ball during a shootaround. “My daughter likes to jump on me a lot, so it has really affected my time with her,” Camby said. “She likes to color a lot, so I have to learn to color with my left hand now.” … On buying a house in Denver, Nuggets newcomer guard Allen Iverson said: “I’ll find one soon. This is a new chapter in my life. This is the place I want to be. I can’t wait for a month from now, and I’m already settled in and accustomed to everything.”
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
Nuggets guard Earl Boykins has scored 20-plus points in four games this season, including in each of the past three games, when he has averaged 27.3 points. … The Nuggets had four players with double-doubles in Allen Iverson, Reggie Evans, Eduardo Najera and Nene, marking the first time the franchise has accomplished that feat since April 13, 2001, against Golden State when Kevin Willis, James Posey, Robert Pack and Raef LaFrentz each did it. … Denver is 2-1 since the NBA handed down suspensions stemming from a fight in New York on Dec. 16.
FINAL THOUGHT
Iverson has been a superstar on the court and with the media since his arrival.
UP NEXT
The Seattle SuperSonics at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.
