CLEVELAND — Denver power forward Kenyon Martin (sprained wrist) said at today’s shootaround that he remains a game-time decision for tonight’s matchup at Cleveland.
“I’m going to get treatment before the game and see how it feels,” Martin said.
Coach George Karl said “my gut says he’ll play, but he’s still sore and tender,” but Karl also pointed out that the Cavaliers generally play with a smaller lineup, which means Denver could get away with resting Martin tonight compared to, say, Friday at Boston.
“Tomorrow will be a scary thing,” said Karl, whose team is 4-3 and 3-0 since Chauncey Billups entered the lineup.
Both Karl and Martin are worried about Martin’s wrist getting hit in the game, though, Karl said, “You can’t predict what happens in a game. But sometimes when you play, you forget about it, and he’ll subconsciously heal faster because he made it through the game.”
Linas Kleiza will start for Denver if Martin is out. Kleiza struggled on offense last game, shooting just 2-for-7 from the field. But, Karl said, “The thing L.K. is doing better than he did in the past is he’s playing well enough to stay on the court, even if he’s not scoring. He’s rebounding better, he still runs the court and gives us spacing.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
