Will he be home for Christmas (or, actually, on the road at Oklahoma City)?
Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, who has worked diligently to return from offseason surgery on his left knee, was asked if he could return to play by Dec. 25, when Denver plays the Thunder.
“That would be ideally the situation, but I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket for that day,” Martin said Saturday. “If I’m not ready, I’m not ready.”
Martin has begun shooting and running.
“A lot of running, so when I do start doing other stuff, it will be a breeze,” the power forward said. “I’m just trying to do as much running as I can tolerate, and it’s going pretty well — I haven’t run since before June. I attacked it. . . . It’s about me getting better each day, but at the same time, not risking a setback.”
The voracious rebounder and defender has watched his Nuggets claw to a 12-6 record heading into tonight’s home game against the Grizzlies (8-12). As he works to return, Martin said his next step is “jumping, jumping and more jumping. Everything is predicated on not having pain. But we’ve been taking the proper steps to avoid me having pain.
“We still have a lot of games to play (this season). Guys want to have me for more than less. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to play more games that I miss. So it’s about me getting back on the court and being productive.”
Karl under weather. Nuggets coach George Karl has battled a cold lately. His temperature was 103 on Thursday, he felt better during Friday’s game but still felt fatigued, and then on Saturday he stayed home from practice. But the coach is expected to be at the Pepsi Center today.
Birdman hurt. Chris Andersen is listed as questionable for tonight’s game, following a scary fall on his lower back Friday. X-rays were negative. The reserve center played 22 minutes in Friday’s victory against the Clippers when the injury occurred. He had already notched six blocks.
“I think I could have had four more,” Birdman said.
Andersen returned five games ago from knee surgery, and he has energized the defense.
“It’s the presence — he alters shots and people know he’s back there,” Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt said. “When teams know you don’t have shot-blocking, they’ll challenge you more. With Bird in the game, he’s fearless, and we love having him down there.”
J.R. Swish. It’s not often that folks make a huge deal about a player tallying three consecutive good games. But when that player has been consistently inconsistent his whole career, it’s something to talk about. Nuggets reserve J.R. Smith has scored 20 or more points in each of the past three games, the first time he ever did that while coming off the bench.
“He’s locked in; he’s focused,” Hunt said. “He’s really got his mind set on doing the right thing. He’s really trying to rebound the basketball, defend and communicate. He’s asking great questions in the timeouts; he’s really engaged.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Notebook
Grizzlies: Center Marc Gasol is tied with Denver’s Nene for the NBA’s lead in shooting percentage (60.8). . . . Gasol and power forward Zach Randolph are two defensive keys for Denver tonight. “They’re a perfect complement to one another,” Nuggets assistant coach John Welch said. “Randolph is a great scorer inside; Gasol is a great passer and they feed off each other. They both crash the boards. A lot of times, it’s a pass from Gasol to Randolph that really hurts you.” . . . Among the teams Memphis has defeated this season — the Mavericks, Suns, Heat and Lakers.
Nuggets: Denver is 9-1 at home. . . . Carmelo Anthony had 18 free-throw attempts Friday. The Nuggets are 5-1 in games when Melo gets to the line 10 or more times. . . . After this home game, the next four games are on the road (Charlotte, Boston, Toronto and New
