If ever there was a time for Nuggets guard J.R. Smith to make his biggest and best case for being a regular starter, the next three weeks will be it.
With Carmelo Anthony sidelined three to four weeks with a nondisplaced third metacarpal fracture in his right hand, Smith is among a group of players whose roles will change.
Nuggets coach George Karl would not commit Tuesday to any one player taking Anthony’s place in the starting lineup on a regular basis, but Smith figures to get the first chance.
Asked Tuesday what he’d be required to do with Anthony out of the lineup, Smith said: “Same thing as last time. Just be more aggressive and play the same role I’ve been playing.”
Anthony suffered the injury when Indiana center Jeff Foster hit his hand during Monday night’s game. When Anthony missed three games in December with a right elbow bruise, Smith filled in and averaged 16 points on 17-of-37 (46 percent) shooting. But he also had nine turnovers in those three games.
Swingman Linas Kleiza is also expected to see a bump in his playing time, and might find himself in the starting lineup. Karl said even little-used guard Chucky Atkins might start.
“I think Chucky’s in there,” Karl said. “I love Chucky. I’m not sure if he fits the formula or not.”
Karl’s decision on starters will be “more of a situational thing,” he said. “I think it’s going to be more matchups. . . . My big thing is I like keeping the bench consistency. I usually use the starting situation as kind of a thank you for guys who have hung around and stayed around and been professional about what they do.”
Kleiza also played well when Anthony was out in December, averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting a blistering 60 percent (9-of-15) from the 3-point range.
“It’s an opportunity for a lot of guys,” Kleiza said. “You don’t want to see anybody get injured, but it’s part of the game. . . . It’s a big opportunity. I just want to win games, whatever it takes. Hopefully, the increased minutes will help me do that.”
The Nuggets are 3-2 this season without Anthony, 16-20 all time. He also missed the first two games of the season to suspension.
“We have many good players that are going to have to fill in and take that responsibility and embrace the roles,” Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups said. “I’m looking forward to that part of it, other people being able to step up and play and play well.”
The Nuggets have won four in a row and are in the midst of a seven-game homestand. Anthony expects the team to continue to play well.
“The good thing is we’re at home, we’re in our home court, we got our fans,” Anthony said. “And a lot of our guys will step up and win basketball games for us.”
In the next four weeks the Nuggets have 12 games, including nine against teams with a .500 record or better.
“We got to just continue to play hard,” Billups said. “There are going to be some players that will play minutes that maybe they are not accustomed to, and play stretches of the game that they might not be accustomed to. But that’s part of it.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Miami at Denver
7 p.m., ALT, ESPN, KCKK 1510 AM
Spotlight on Dwyane Wade: The Heat’s star guard has been healthy this season and, as a result, has returned to his dominant play. Wade is averaging a career-high 28.7 points — tops in the NBA — and ranks in the top 10 in assists (7.1) and steals (2.3).
Nuggets: The Nuggets recalled Sonny Weems from the NBA Development League on Tuesday. Weems averaged 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 10 games with the Colorado 14ers. . . . Analysis for tonight’s game will be provided by ESPN’s Dick Vitale in a role switch. Vitale, Dan Shulman and Nancy Lieberman, all normally on college basketball telecasts, will do the broadcast. . . . The Nuggets’ 24-12 record is tied for the best 36-game start in team history.
Heat: Miami released guard Shaun Livingston on Tuesday. Livingston was trying to come back from a major knee injury suffered in 2007. . . . Rookie forward Michael Beasley is not seeing as much of the court as some of his other lottery-mates, but is learning to make the most of what he’s got. He’s averaging 13.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 25.2 minutes this season. Beasley has started 15 of 32 games. . . . Rookie guard Mario Chalmers has been a find for the Heat, who were in need of a point guard. Chalmers has started in all 33 games and is averaging 10.0 points, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post
