His boot is made for walking.
Carmelo Anthony left the Pepsi Center on Sunday in a protective boot, a sign he might not be able to run up and down the court. Sure enough, Melo said his sprained left ankle will sideline him for tonight’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats.
“The best bet is to wait until Wednesday’s game (at Houston) to get it better,” Anthony said. “It didn’t swell up, so that’s a good sign. . . . I’ve had ankle injuries before, but this one is not as bad as the others.”
Anthony suffered the injury in overtime Saturday night against the Hornets, when the all-star forward landed awkwardly on Devin Brown’s foot after taking a shot.
Denver likely will start Joey Graham tonight at small forward. He has started in other games Anthony missed because of injury. The Nuggets, 3-2 when Anthony is out, are vying for their seventh consecutive win. The Bobcats enter with a 9-3 record this month and defeated the Nuggets 107-95 on Dec. 8 in Charlotte.
Anthony is second in the NBA in scoring (29.7), trailing LeBron James of Cleveland (29.9).
Graham averages 3.8 points per game and plays hard-nosed defense, utilizing his body (6-feet-7, 225 pounds).
Anthony had treatment on the ankle Sunday and wore the protective boot to keep from limping.
“It’s a fashion statement,” Melo said jokingly.
Charlotte at Denver
7 p.m. tonight, ALT, KCKK 1510 AM
Spotlight on Stephen Jackson: Gerald Wallace is arguably Charlotte’s top player, but since Jackson’s arrival from Golden State, the playoff-contending Bobcats have been revitalized (or “vitalized,” considering we’re talking about a perennial loser).
Nuggets: Forward Kenyon Martin’s 9.2 rebounds per game rank as the second-best average of his career. He had 9.5 in 2003-04. . . . In the past eight games, guard Chauncey Billups has averaged 24.8 points. . . . Denver’s 29-14 start is the second-best in team history. . . . When the Nuggets score 110 or more points, the team is 17-0. . . . In Saturday’s win against the Hornets, the Nuggets had four players with 10 or more rebounds, the first time that happened since April 13, 2001.
Bobcats: Charlotte is 9-3 in January, but don’t think it’s because the Bobcats slapped around some weak Eastern Conference foes. During the month, Charlotte has defeated Cleveland, Phoenix, San Antonio, Memphis and Miami twice. . . . Guard D.J. Augustin is coming off a season-high 22 points against Orlando on Saturday, which included five 3-pointers. . . . Bobcats forward Stephen Graham is the twin brother of Denver’s Joey Graham, who will likely start for the injured Carmelo Anthony. . . . The Bobcats are 0-3 on the road against Western Conference teams.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
