As the Nuggets tried to put a heartbreaking loss to the Spurs behind them, it became easier to do with the news Friday that the next time they face San Antonio — on Wednesday — they might do so with a full, or nearly full, roster.
The Nuggets are on the mend.
Forward Chris “Birdman” Andersen appears to be just a few days from returning from a lower-back injury that has kept him sidelined since Dec. 3.
“I feel good,” Andersen said Friday. “Did some on-court stuff. . . . Had coach (John) Welch banging me while I did some rebounding and some putbacks. It doesn’t feel OK, but it’s just the process of getting it back to OK. For now, I’m doing what needs to be done.”
Andersen described himself as a “quick healer” and said: “There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. . . . I’m just playing it on how the pain is.”
Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony plans on wearing a wrap around his right thumb, which was injured in Thursday night’s game against San Antonio.
Chauncey Billups, who has been out because of complications with a sprained right wrist, said he has begun shooting the ball again and will test the wrist today prior to the game. Realistically, it’s more of an informational tryout than anything. Billups still doesn’t expect to be ready to play for a few more days. Still, he acknowledges he’s headed in the right direction.
“It felt decent,” Billups said. “Hopefully, I can continue doing the right things and get it better.”
And Kenyon Martin, who has missed the entire season with a knee injury, is expected to practice this week.
It all means that when the Nuggets head back to San Antonio for Round 2 against the Spurs, they could do so with some major additions to the roster.
“I think that’s a possibility,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.
In the meantime, the Nuggets turn their focus to Minnesota tonight. Minnesota features one of the best rebounders the NBA has seen in years in forward Kevin Love.
“He’s going to average 10 rebounds in his career,” Karl said. “He is as consistent and persistent as anybody I’ve seen in a long time in that area. He has a little bit of a Dennis Rodman type of mentality. He’s got great hands. He has that instinctive ability to find the position or the angle before the ball hits the rim, which is unusual.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Notebook
Nuggets: With his 31 points against San Antonio, Carmelo Anthony has scored 30 points or more in three straight games and has seven games this season of 30 points or more. . . . The Nuggets are 3-1 in games in which Ty Lawson starts.
Timberwolves: Minnesota arrives for tonight’s game as the second straight opponent the Nuggets will face that is on the second game of a back-to-back. The T-wolves played at Portland on Friday night. . . . Minnesota is 2-8 in its last 10 games in Denver.
