Take three.
Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony will once again test his sprained left ankle before tonight’s game at Memphis (13-32). The past two games, Anthony thought he might be able to play, but after each pregame workout, he walked painfully back to the locker room and broke the painful news — Denver wouldn’t have its all-star forward.
Anthony has missed the past four games for the Nuggets (26-18): home wins against Atlanta and New Jersey, followed by road losses to Dallas and New Orleans.
“Teams are studying you, and the more they see how we play without Melo, the more they’ll have a trick or two,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “Little niches — and we might not have the versatility to adjust.”
Without Anthony and his 25.5 points per game, Denver has started Linas Kleiza at small forward. According to Karl, teams are zeroing in on Kleiza, such as in the Dallas game Sunday.
“I think L.K. should be complimented — I’m pretty sure Dallas had Kleiza as one of the top two or three priorities of their game plan. They weren’t coming off of him.”
Kleiza is the Nuggets’ third-leading scorer, averaging 12.0 points per game, but he has increased that to 17.5 in the four games without Anthony.
As a team, the Nuggets’ scoring has dropped considerably, from 107.1 with Anthony to 96.3 without him.
Martin gets offensive.
After a paltry eight-point, two-rebound night against Dallas on Sunday, power forward Kenyon Martin bounced back Monday with 18 points and nine rebounds at New Orleans, including four offensive rebounds (not to mention three assists). Like Kleiza, Martin has been more aggressive offensively with Anthony out. In the two other games without Anthony, Martin scored 20 each night.
“He’s playing well, and we’re going to need him to continue to play this way for us to have any success,” guard Allen Iverson said.
Martin averages 10.6 points per game, a number that eclipsed double figures of late, thanks to eight 10-plus scoring games in the past 10.
Take me home.
The Nuggets have lost six consecutive games away from home, the longest road losing streak in a single season since 2005, when they lost eight.
Tonight is the last game of the road trip but the first of the four-game season series against the Grizzlies. Memphis has won the past three games against the Nuggets.
DENVER AT MEMPHIS
6 p.m. tonight, ALT, KKFN 950 AM
Spotlight on Rudy Gay: The surging sophomore – and dunk contest participant
at February’s All-Star Weekend – might
be the most exhilarating player you
haven’t seen this season. The Memphis
forward averages 19.6 points, compared
with 10.8 as a rookie. The 8.8-point increase
is the biggest in the NBA this season.
And in the Grizzlies’ win against the Clippers last week,
Gay scored a career-high 34 points on 13-for-25 shooting.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: Center Marcus Camby had five rebounds in the loss Monday at New Orleans. Denver is 0-7 when Camby has fewer than 10. Monday’s 93-point effort dropped Denver to 3-12 (1-10 on the road) this season when held to fewer than 100 points.
Grizzlies: Bobby Jones was waived by the Nuggets this month, and now he is on his second 10-day contract with Memphis. He has played in nine games, starting two, and averages 4.4 points in 15.3 minutes for Memphis. . . . Grizzlies forward Hakim Warrick was teammates with Anthony on the 2003 NCAA champion Syracuse team. Anthony was the team’s best player, and Warrick blocked a key shot in the final minute against Kansas to preserve the title-game victory. . . . Memphis is the only team in the NBA to lose nine games by three points or fewer (1-9). No other NBA team has lost more than five.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
