LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson walked through the bowels of Staples Center on Thursday, spotted his coaching rival and gave him a fitting greeting:
“Hi, Coby’s dad!”
That’s who Nuggets coach George Karl was on Thursday at Staples Center, a proud father. Of course, Thursday was supposed to be the first matchup of coach Karl against his son, Coby, who is in the Lakers’ organization. But Jackson and the Lakers’ brass moved Coby Karl to their Development League team, which made the day bittersweet — history wasn’t made, but dad could at least watch his son play in person.
The Los Angeles D-Fenders played at 4:30 p.m., and Karl scored 19 points with five rebounds and four assists. This season for the Lakers, he had scored just two points in four total minutes.
“It was probably better because he got to watch me play — and for me it was great because I haven’t played in two or three months where I got a good run,” Coby Karl said. “I think it’s going to be a really good opportunity.”
George Karl said he spoke with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, who told the coach that the move was to benefit Coby Karl as a player. During the D-League game, Karl sat with Kupchak, and the Nuggets’ staff scattered in the Staples Center seats that afternoon. Coby Karl made some nifty passes, and he even unleashed a high-flying dunk. After the game, Coby Karl said hello to Nuggets friends Linas Kleiza and Eduardo Najera.
Room for improvement. Forward Kenyon Martin returned to the lineup after missing a game with a bone bruise in his knee.
Instantly, this helped the Nuggets, who were wedging small forwards in the power forward position. But Karl thinks Martin, who missed 80 games last season due to knee surgery, is still a work-in-progress offensively as he tries to get back to his all-star caliber.
McCoy in uniform. Center Jelani McCoy was on the Nuggets’ bench for the first time after signing with the team. McCoy is a big body the Nuggets hope can help in practice, with such a depleted low post. McCoy is a better defensive player than offensive. McCoy also played for the D-Fenders, averaging 8.0 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS AT DENVER
8:30 p.m. tonight, ALT, ESPN 1600 AM
Spotlight on Brevin Knight: The veteran point guard will likely play extended minutes with guard Sam Cassell (calf) out tonight. Knight, playing Cassell’s minutes last week against the Nuggets, tallied seven assists before suffering a right groin strain in the third quarter. Knight averages just 3.9 assists this season, but in the two games he played 25-plus minutes, he had totals of six and nine (he played just 14 minutes in the Denver game). During his previous 10 seasons, Knight was an unheralded assist man6.82 per game, good for 24th in NBA history. Four times he finished in the top 10 in assists.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: The game was supposed to be aired on ESPN, but now is only on Altitude, though they kept the same late start time. In the Nuggets’ Nov. 21 loss at the Clippers, forward Kenyon Martin went scoreless, missing all six shot attempts during his 23 minutes. That night, guard Allen Iverson had nine assists but eight turnovers.
Clippers: In the victory against the Nuggets, center Chris Kaman had 17 points and a game-high 21 rebounds and four blocks. When the Clippers make more 3-pointers than their opponent, they’re 5-2. When the Clippers make less than their opponent, they’re 0-5 (And they’re 1-0 in games they tied the 3-point battle).
Benjamin Hochman
