WASHINGTON — “Probably not” became “probable.” On Friday morning, Nuggets coach George Karl said he didn’t think Nene would play tonight at New York after Denver’s big man rested his lingering left heel strain Friday at Washington. But after Friday night’s win, Nene was declared probable for the big game tonight against Carmelo Anthony.
Meanwhile, Rudy Fernandez’s lingering Achilles strain continues to bother the reserve guard. He sat out Denver’s previous two games but returned Friday — only to return to the bench in the second half because of the injury. The team will re-evaluate his foot today to see if he can play.
Timofey Mozgov, the Nuggets’ starting center, returned to the lineup Friday after sitting out Wednesday in Philadelphia because of a strained back. Timo, as they call him, scored eight points with five rebounds in 21 minutes.
Little big man. Guess who led Denver in rebounds Friday? It was 5-foot-11 point guard Ty Lawson, who nabbed nine, including four on the offensive boards.
“Man, I was playing like I was Nene out there,” Lawson said with a little smile. “But someone had to step up for him, so I had a conscious effort to get rebounds, get on the boards, kick the ball ahead.”
Lawson’s nine boards were a career high, besting his total of seven, which he has accomplished three times.
“Ty’s a good rebounder. He actually doesn’t try as hard as he should sometimes,” Karl said of Lawson, who averages 3.4 boards per game. “But he’s having a good year, so I’m very happy with him.”
Bird flying high. Chris Andersen has had some tough nights this season, but for the second straight game he made a Birdman-like impact. On Friday, the soaring big man played 23 minutes, scoring seven points with eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
