Nuggets center Nene, who has missed each of the last two games with a bruised right knee, could be back on the court Friday against the L.A. Lakers, coach George Karl said Thursday afternoon.
“I’d say the pendulum has swung to I think there’s a chance he’ll play tomorrow,” Karl said. “I’m not going to bet on that, but he enjoyed his body today. It seemed like he had a positive feel for what he did.”
Nene did some running, but nothing heavy as the Nuggets mostly took the day off and just did some light work. According to Nuggets trainer Jim Gillen, Nene is “much improved.” He said that Nene would be evaluated tomorrow and his status for what it is a very big game for the Nuggets would be determined at that time.
Without Nene the Nuggets have gone 1-1, with a win over Atlanta and a loss to Boston. They have struggled more often with getting scoring from the block and have missed his inside toughness as well.
Nene has enjoyed the best season of his career, playing in 55 games with averages of 14.9 points and 7.9 rebounds. He leads the NBA in field goal percentage, at 60.9 percent.
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
