Byline: Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
They might not be on pace for 60, or even 55, wins. But few were complaining after Wednesday's gritty win by the Nuggets.
The Nuggets, reaching the midpoint of the season, didn't have forward Carmelo Anthony, who was out with a sprained left ankle and wearing a walking boot. They played their first game since the announcement that forward Nene has testicular cancer.
Nevertheless, the short-handed Nuggets were in control much of the way in a 107-100 win against the Atlanta Hawks at the Pepsi Center.
The Nuggets are 25-16 heading into the second half. All their injuries have put aside the players' talk of 60 wins and coach George Karl's desire to top the 1987-88 team's 54-28 mark for best record in the team's NBA history.
'Without Nene and Melo and Chucky (Atkins, who has a sports hernia), we're kind of in a survival mode like last year and the suspensions,' said Karl, whose team withstood Atlanta's Josh Smith getting his first career triple-double - 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. 'We can't expect to win 75 or 70 percent of our games. We've just got to figure out the games we can go after and try to get all the games into the fourth quarter.'
Karl didn't even mention guard Allen Iverson being bothered by a sore left wrist. Iverson scored a game-most 29 points but he shot only 6-of-21, although he was 15-of-18 from the free-throw line.
'It's killing me,' said Iverson, who took a fall Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers and said X-rays were negative. 'I couldn't hit a shot from the field. . . . It's my (nonshooting) arm, but it's just got to be rhythm.'
The Left Coast was not kind to the left parts of the body. Anthony also was hurt against the Lakers.
But Nuggets forward Linas
Kleiza, who scored 41 on Jan. 17 against rival Utah, picked another good time to step up offensively. Starting at small forward for Anthony, he scored 23 points.
It was the third different position at which Kleiza has started this season, having gotten nods at shooting guard and power forward. Kleiza was cheered on by about 50 countrymen, many waving Lithuanian flags and nearly all dressed in the national colors of green, yellow and red.
'We all needed to step up,' Kleiza said. '(Anthony is) such a big part of our team.'
Power forward Kenyon Martin did his part, totaling 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Then there was center Marcus Camby. But he nearly always steps up.
Camby grabbed 21 rebounds, his ninth game this season of 20 or more. After pulling down 15 in the game's first 20 minutes, he looked bound for 40.
'I'm just happy we got the win,' Camby said. 'Guys played well with Melo out. It was a solid team win.'
After the Hawks (17-21) led 7-0, the Nuggets took over, leading by as many as 17 points in the second quarter. Atlanta closed to 100-96 with 3:12 left when Joe Johnson hit a three-pointer, but nobody seemed overly concerned.
The Nuggets held Johnson, who entered averaging 22.1, to only 14 points. They threw double-teams at him all game.
With his team depleted, Karl used three starters for 40 minutes or more and only three reserves, only two logging more than four minutes. The third reserve used, J.R. Smith, didn't help his cause by being the last player on the court at the morning shootaround, and he played only four minutes.
Iverson didn't participate in the shootaround because of his ailing wrist. Karl said there's 'concern' about Iverson because the injury is affecting his shot.
'But I don't think the kid is going to sit out,' Karl said. 'The kid is going to play. The kid's got a big heart and big guts.'
Besides, Karl is getting used to coaching with a depleted roster. The Nuggets might not be on pace for 55 or 60 wins, but they're in first place in the Northwest Division and have their best mark at a midpoint since 28-13 in 1977-78.
ETC.: Atkins, who underwent surgery Jan. 11, had six stitches removed from his lower abdomen Wednesday. He returned to the team after spending a week recuperating at his Florida home and will begin to travel. Atkins, hoping to return in late March or early April, will visit the doctor today and then expects to start riding a stationary bike. . . . Forward Eduardo Najera returned after missing a game with a hyperextended right elbow but 'aggravated it' and 'it's hurting.' He doesn't know if he'll play Friday against New Jersey.
Nuggets 107, Hawks 100 FG FT Reb
ATLANTA Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts
MWilliams 35:31 7-16 6-6 1-6 1
2 20
JoSmith 41:15 8-23 6-7 2-12 10
4 22
Horford 29:07 6-8 2-5 5-11 2 4 14
JJohnson 39:34 5-17 2-2 1-5 5
3 14
AJohnson 33:49 5-10 0-0 0-2 6
4 12
Childress 24:56 3-9 3-4 2-6 3 1 9
SWilliams 4:22 0-2 0-0 0-1 0 1 0
Law 4:08 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 2 0
Lue 17:55 4-9 0-0 1-2 2 3 9
Jones 9:17 0-2 0-2 3-5 0 2 0
West 0:06 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Totals 240 38-97 19-26 15-51 29 26 100
Percentages - FG .392, FT .731. Three-point goals - 5-12, .417 (A. Johnson 2-3, J. Johnson 2-4, Lue 1-3, Childress 0-1, Jo. Smith 0-1). Team rebounds - 10. Team turnovers - 15 (18 pts.). Blocked shots - 7 (Jo. Smith 5, Childress, Horford). Turnovers - 15 (Jo. Smith 7, A. Johnson 2, J. Johnson 2, M. Williams 2, Childress, Lue). Steals - 15 (Horford 5, Jo. Smith 3, Childress 2, J. Johnson 2, A. Johnson, Lue, M. Williams). Technicals - Smith, 5:27 fourth; coach Woodson, 5:27 fourth.
FG FT Reb
DENVER Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts
Kleiza 40:21 9-18 3-4 1-5 3
1 23
Martin 37:39 7-14 6-6 3-10 1
3 20
Camby 41:28 4-7 5-6 1-21 4
4 13
Iverson 44:30 6-21 15-18 0-2 6
1 29
Carter 34:31 3-8 2-2 0-3 9 2 8
Diawara 20:232-4 1-2 0-0 1 2 5
JSmith 4:21 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 2
Najera 16:47 2-2 2-2 1-4 2
5 7
Totals 240 34-77 34-40 6-45 26 18
107
Percentages - FG .442, FT .850. Three-point goals - 5-15, .333 (Iverson 2-5, Kleiza 2-5, Najera 1-1, Camby 0-1, Carter 0-1, Diawara 0-1, J. Smith 0-1). Team rebounds - 9. Team turnovers - 17 (20 pts.). Blocked shots - 7 (Camby 4, Martin 2, Carter). Turnovers - 17 (Camby 5, Carter 3, Iverson 3, Najera 2, Diawara, Kleiza, Martin, J. Smith). Steals - 8 (Iverson 3, Kleiza 2, Camby, Diawara, Najera). Technicals - None.
Atlanta 17 25 28 30 - 100
Denver 29 23 26 29 - 107
A - 14,213 (19,155). T - 2:14. Officials - Joe DeRosa, David Jones, Tommy Nunez Jr.
CAPTION(S):
Photo
Nuggets guard Allen Iverson drives past Hawks forward Al Horford on Wednesday night at the Pepsi Center. Iverson, who played with a sore left wrist, scored a game-high 29 points in the win. GARRETT ELLWOOD / NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
