Nuggets guard Ty Lawson was a late scratch from Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles because of a sprained left ankle that continues to give him problems.
Lawson had hoped to play in the pivotal early Western Conference showdown between the second- and third-place teams, and had said he would Saturday afternoon.
But after having difficulty in getting some things done on the court, and after going through a pregame workout, he was shelved. Andre Miller started in his place.
Lawson has missed two games with the ankle sprain, originally suffered against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 25. He continues to be listed as day to day. His next chance to play will be Tuesday when the Nuggets travel to face Memphis.
Monitoring Rudy continues. Nuggets reserve guard Rudy Fernandez had a triumphant return from a chronic Achilles injury on Friday night against Toronto, when he scored a season-high 23 points in the win. He had missed the previous two games.
But it doesn’t mean he’s completely out of the woods, although Karl has liked how Fernandez has responded and how he’s looking going forward. Fernandez played again Sunday against the Clippers.
“I think the whole season you’re going to have whispers — be careful with (Chris Andersen’s) knee, be careful with (Andre Miller’s) back — there’s always going to be those whispers of how much time to play him, who’s feeling good and who isn’t feeling good,” Karl said. “But I felt good because today and yesterday it seemed like he had that face of confidence.”
