J.R. Smith’s three-game suspension is over, just in time for the troubled Nuggets guard to return to the scene of another crime Tuesday at New York.
Remember NBA Fight 2006 at Madison Square Garden? Smith was one of the ringleaders in that Nugs-Knicks brawl, and it cost him 10 games. He returns from another suspension – conduct detrimental to the team, stemming from an Oct. 13 incident at a Denver nightclub – in the teams’ first meeting since the Big Apple brawl.
New Yawkers undoubtedly will be yakking it up to Smith, but it will be interesting to see how much the crowd gives it to Carmelo Anthony, who served a 15-game suspension for fighting. Anthony, after all, led Syracuse to the 2003 NCAA title to become a New York hero.
Anthony and Smith might get booed less than Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, whose recent sexual-harassment trial cost the franchise $11.6 million in damages. Thomas, whom Nuggets coach George Karl blamed for stirring up trouble before last year’s fight, was booed during introductions at preseason home games.
Tuesday’s game begins a four-game trip for the Nuggets, who play the Celtics on Wednesday, the Wizards on Friday and the Pacers on Saturday.
The Boston game should also be interesting. The Celtics added guard Ray Allen and forward Kevin Garnett in the offseason, two moves that nearly brought veteran Boston guard Paul Pierce to tears.
“I’m at a place right now in my career (that) I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Pierce said on . “I’m in my 10th year, I have a great supporting cast. I want to finish my career a Boston Celtic. This has got to be our run.”
Nuggets’ road trip
Tuesday at New York, 5:30 p.m., ALT
Wednesday at Boston, 5:30 p.m., ALT2
Friday at Washington, 6 p.m., ALT2
Saturday at Indiana, 5 p.m., ALT
TV GAME OF THE WEEK
Air Force at Notre Dame, Saturday, 12:30 p.m., KUSA-9. For Front Range college pigskin fans, what would be better than seeing Nebraska allow 76 points at Kansas? This year, it would be Air Force winning at Notre Dame to clinch a bowl berth.
DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
Avs play Flames, again. We need some variety!
We know the NHL is working on it, but sheesh, the Avalanche schedule is like playing poker with the same group of people that you don’t like.
In the Avs’ 14th game of the season tonight, they host Calgary in the third meeting between the teams.
Yeah, it was nice having Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in town last week, but we won’t see another Eastern Conference club until Dec. 7, when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Pepsi Center.
The Avs’ first Eastern Conference road game of the season isn’t until Jan. 9, at Washington.
NO TIME TO KICK BACK
Title time. A busy high-school sports week begins Wednesday with the Class 4A and 5A boys soccer championship doubleheader at Englewood High’s Pirate Stadium.
The 5A game pits Smoky Hill against Grandview, beginning at 5 p.m. Mullen and Broomfield will decide the 4A crown at 7:30 p.m.
A RUDE AWAKENING
All the Rage in Broomfield. The Rocky Mountain Rage, a second-year expansion team of the Central Hockey League, was 5-0-1 until Saturday night, when something went terribly wrong at New Mexico. The Rage lost 10-0 to the Scorpions at the Santa Ana Star Center, crashing back to earth after upsetting the rival Colorado Eagles the previous night.
Still, the Rage lead the Northwest Division by three points over the Eagles. Rocky Mountain opens a four- game homestand Friday against the Texas Brahmas.
HAWKS FLYING TO QUEBEC
Avalanche names sponsor squad. The Littleton Hawks’ Double-A pee-wee hockey team went 5-0 the past two weekends to capture the inaugural Colorado Avalanche Quebec Qualifier Tournament and advance to the 49th Quebec International Hockey Tournament, to be held Feb. 14-25 in Quebec City.
The Hawks were among 10 eligible Front Range Double-A pee-wee teams to participate at the Apex Ice Arena and the Pepsi Center, and will play in the world’s biggest pee-wee (12-under) tournament along with some of the world’s best Triple-A teams, including the Colorado Thunderbirds, a Front Range all-star squad that was the United States’ runner-up last spring.
The Quebec tournament helped develop Hockey Hall of Famers such as Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky, as well as former Avs goalie Patrick Roy, also in the Hall of Fame, and longtime captain Joe Sakic.
