The easiest way to describe the Nuggets’ starters and substitution pattern for the next few weeks without injured star Carmelo Anthony is: Expect variety.
There will be plenty of it as the Nuggets attempt to navigate their way through January without losing their grip on the Northwest Division lead. They have a three-game lead over Portland.
“The hole isn’t going to be filled in by any one guy,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “It’s going to be filled in by three or four guys. And hopefully, if we get guys playing well, it’ll get done. When you have a super player get taken out of your lineup, you’ve got to be ready quicker to moving (lineups) as the game develops.”
Anthony’s spot in the starting lineup Wednesday was filled by Linas Kleiza against the Heat, and he responded with 21 points, 15 of which came in the first half. The Nuggets will choose either Kleiza or J.R. Smith, depending on whom the Detroit Pistons start Friday. If the Pistons start big, Karl will likely go with Kleiza. If the Pistons start a smaller lineup, Smith will likely get the nod.
Karl is playing the matchups and dealing out the minutes as players warrant the time. He said he was pleased with how things went Wednesday.
“We missed Melo. We missed his explosiveness,” Karl said. “But I thought L.K. was good in the first half. I thought J.R. and (Anthony Carter) were good in the second half.”
Karl implored, “I promise you it doesn’t matter who starts.”
Kleiza and Smith agreed.
“Starting lineup really doesn’t concern me,” Kleiza said. “As long as I’m playing, I’m good.”
Added Smith: “Nah, it doesn’t matter. You get the same amount of minutes. The whole thing with me is that I’m on the court at the end of the game.”
And he was. Smith scored five points down the stretch to help Denver hold off the Heat (18-16). Smith finished with 21 points.
Kleiza finished with a season-high 35 minutes of action. Smith got a normal 27 minutes in his regular bench role.
With the shorter bench, forward Chris Andersen saw extended minutes as well. His 21 tied his Jan. 3 minute output as the most since playing 32 minutes in a starting role against Atlanta on Dec. 29. He finished with six points and seven rebounds Wednesday.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity for guys to play minutes that they don’t usually play,” Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups said. “I think it just makes us a better basketball team going forward when (Anthony) comes back because you get guys that hopefully will have gained a lot of confidence with him being gone. That makes you stronger down the stretch.”
Said Karl: “If we’re going to win the division, we can’t just say for the next two or three weeks, ‘We’re undermanned.’ That’s not true. We can win games. How we do it, where we do it and when we do it is our challenge.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
