TORONTO — One of the coolest stories in Denver sports this year is Gary Forbes.
“When he came into camp, I had no idea who he was, what he was, what type of player he was,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “But he’s come to the gym hard every day.”
The camp invitee has been with the Nuggets all season, and with Carmelo Anthony out for his second straight game, Forbes got his second straight start. He struggled a little in the spotlight playing in Boston (he went to school at Massachusetts), but on Friday, Forbes was aggressive all night in Toronto, scoring 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting — with six boards too. He scored 13 of those in the third quarter, when he helped Denver pull away for the win.
Recently asked about Forbes, Karl smiled and said: “He’s a cocky kid, man. Reminds me a little bit of me (as a player). He’s been great.”
Injury update.
Nuggets center Chris Andersen is improving from his back injury and will begin cardio work today. His rehabilitation is taking place in Denver. On Dec. 3, “The Birdman” landed on his back in a game against the Clippers. The injury is a vertebra/transverse process fracture in his lower left back. It was a nasty fall.
“The Birdman being hurt, I think, affected us a lot in the first two games (of this road trip),” Karl said. “We had him back for five games and we seemed to be getting our strut back a little bit, our confidence back a little bit. We’ve been mixing and matching so much this year.”
Andersen has averaged 5.6 points and 2.2 blocks — including six blocked shots in the game against the Clippers.
Nuggets on the tube.
Good news for Nuggets fans outside of Denver. Tuesday’s home game against Orlando will be televised nationally on NBA-TV, as well as Altitude, the NBA announced Friday.
