PHILADELPHIA — Danilo Gallinari was a jarring addition to the Nuggets’ injury report Friday. Left knee strain, it said. But he managed to play Saturday against the 76ers.
Still, he’s not out of the woods.
“My knee, it’s painful,” Gallinari said.
The veteran forward said “it’s a deep bone bruise” that he picked up during the Nuggets’ loss at Chicago on Wednesday night.
“I fell down bad,” Gallinari said. “It’s a deep bone bruise that I have on the femur, so the upper part of my knee. If I rest, it’s going to go away sooner. If I play, it’s going to stay there for a little bit.”
Gallinari, who scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 39 minutes of Saturday’s game, doesn’t plan to rest. He tested the knee before the game against the 76ers just to make sure he was good to go.
“I’m good with pain,” Gallinari said. “I’ve played with fractures and other stuff. Pain is not a problem.”
He understands the gasps that any knee injury associated with him can cause. He has had two ACL surgeries on his left knee.
“I was a little scared when I fell because it was a bad fall,” Gallinari said. “But doctors did a great surgery on my knee. My knee is very stable.
“I’m really not worried.”
Nelson gets nod. For the second consecutive game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone sat first-round draft pick Emmanuel Mudiay down the stretch of a tight game. The coach went with point guard Jameer Nelson, part of an all-veteran lineup to close out the victory over the 76ers.
“For me it’s always going to be a balancing act, Emmanuel or Jameer,” Malone said. “I just felt down the stretch once again, Jameer, Randy (Foye), Will (Barton), Gallo, Kenneth (Faried), those guys have a lot of experience and have played in big games. I trust Jameer with the ball in his hands.”
Mudiay finished with 10 points, six assists and seven turnovers in 31 minutes. Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
