During games, Denver forward Linas Kleiza moves down the court faster than most of his teammates. But after games lately, Kleiza has moved like Frankenstein in stilettos. He stands straight and steps slow, a large ice pack taped to his left ankle.
“He’s banged,” coach George Karl said.
Kleiza has played the past five games with a left ankle sprain after sitting out consecutive games in late November. He entered Wednesday as Denver’s fourth-leading scorer (10.6), with totals of 14, 15, nine and eight points in games following the injury.
“It takes awhile,” said Kleiza, who has been limited at practice. “It was a pretty bad sprain, so it’s going to take me a couple weeks to get over it. So I just have to play through it.”
It’s possible he returned a game early, Karl said, but the Nuggets needed him in the Nov. 27 game against Indiana when two power forwards were out with injury.
“I think he did it for the team,” Karl said.
The coach said Kleiza’s ankle has affected his jump shot, but pointing out that the forward is the NBA’s No. 1 field-goal shooter within two-point range.
“Unfortunately,” the coach deadpanned, “he shoots more 3s.”
Above average.
Guard Allen Iverson leads Denver with 7.1 assists per game, compared with a career average 6.2, but Karl thinks his season average could go up once injured point guard Chucky Atkins joins the lineup this month.
“It could heighten it, because having a shooter on the perimeter,” Karl said. “It’s easier to get an assist on the perimeter, than to make the conversion on a drive. The more assists, the better we’re going to play.”
The Nuggets are fifth in the NBA in assists (23.6).
Assist trio.
Karl admitted it was tad lofty, but the coach told center Marcus Camby, forward Carmelo Anthony and Iverson that his goal for them is 20 combined assists per game. OK, very lofty, considering it has happened only twice this season entering Wednesday. But in Nuggets wins, the three combine for 16.8 assists per game, while in losses they average 11.4.
Three’s company.
On Lakers all-star guard Kobe Bryant, Karl said, “I think he’s one of the top-three talents that have ever played our game — Michael Jordan, and I’m a Magic Johnson guy.”
