Nuggets guard J.R. Smith will likely start Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks, Nuggets coach George Karl said today.
It will be Smith’s first start since Carmelo Anthony was sidelined with a fractured hand last week. The Nuggets are 2-1 this season when Smith starts.
“I told (Linas Kleiza) and J.R. I was going to start (them) based upon size and matchups,” Karl said.
“For the last two games, we were playing against 6-10, 6-11 (small forwards). So, I think, my feeling is Dallas will give us a small small forward that we may be able to play quicker.”
Smith and Kleiza struggled in the Nuggets last game, a 93-90 loss to Detroit. The duo combined to score 12 points on 3-of-19 shooting. Smith had 11 points in the game on the strength of five free throws. Kleiza started that game and ended with one point.
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
