Wednesday’s Denver victory was fun, all right — for the first time this season, each Nuggets starter scored in double figures.
But there was an underlying reality — for the first time this season, the Nuggets bench was insignificant.
Though Eduardo Najera scored 10 points in 22 minutes, the only other bench-scoring was a Linas Kleiza 3-pointer. The 13 bench points were a season-low (previously 19).
The Nuggets played with nine players against the Hornets, but essentially just played with seven. Reserve J.R. Smith played only eight minutes and reserve Yakhouba Diawara played six.
And so, more minutes for the starters meant more points.
The Denver bench recently has been plagued by inconsistencies. And two injuries to minute-eaters have thinned the bench. But, for a change, the Nuggets now have good fortune, in the form of their upcoming schedule.
Beginning with Thursday’s practice, Denver has just five games in 13 days, leading up to the Dec. 26 home game, the night guard Chucky Atkins (groin) said he could return. And forward Nene (thumb) is expected to return by the end of the month, as well.
“Anytime you have more than a day off, you have the luxury of playing your players more,” said Denver coach George Karl, whose team is 14-8. “My preference is not to bury my starters earlier in the year — I don’t think we’ve done that yet, but if we continue for another 20 games, it would probably be worse. But Chucky and Nene should probably be back by then. Hopefully, our guys will start playing a little better off the bench.”
Earlier in the season, the bench players were nicknamed “The Scramblers” because of their tenacity. Now, Karl is scrambling just to find a bench player worthy of minutes. The shooting guard Smith, who has played big minutes and hit big shots, is now in a slump. He missed his lone 3-point attempt Wednesday, putting him at 1-for-17 in December.
“Basically, he just needs to be more fundamentally sound,” Karl said. “It seems like he’s been getting himself in trouble with his decisions.”
The forward Kleiza is playing through pain in his ankle. The guard Diawara, the defensive stopper who is slowly evolving offensively, went from the starting lineup to “did not play — coach’s decision” of late. And forward Bobby Jones hasn’t played more than six minutes since Nov. 24. His status is in flux come Jan. 10, the day contracts become guaranteed.
All-Star again?
The NBA released the first wave of all-star voting, and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony had more votes than any Western Conference forward (482,127). Denver’s Allen Iverson was fourth in the guard voting (292,565), trailing Phoenix’s Steve Nash (third with 317,091), Houston’s Tracy McGrady (second; 388,959) and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (569,302). Voting ends at arenas Jan. 13 and online Jan. 20.
Denver center Marcus Camby is second in the NBA in rebounding (14.8 per game) and blocks (3.27), but it’s possible he won’t make the team, with Houston’s Yao Ming as the probable starter and Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire a likely reserve.
Ed-die for 3.
Najera continues to make jaw drops with his 3-point shooting. He hit a clutch fourth-quarter 3 on Wednesday, and he still has the top 3-point percentage on the team — 42.9, good for 21st in the NBA.
From beyond the arc this season, he is 18-for-42. In his eight previous seasons combined, he was 14-for-55.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
