With Millsap out, Nuggets lean on frontcourt depth
HOUSTON» Michael Malone discussed the possibility of taking either Kenneth Faried or Mason Plumlee out of the Denver Nuggets’ big-man rotation about a week ago, stressing, “If I wanted to keep people happy, I’d sell ice cream.”
Now, the Nuggets must hope what was a frontcourt logjam becomes an asset as they attempt to replace Paul Millsap for the foreseeable future. Millsap, a fourtime all-star and Denver’s flashy free-agent signing, could miss up to three months. A league source confirmed to The Denver Post on Tuesday that Millsap will undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist suffered in Sunday’s loss at the Los Angeles Lakers.
“We’ve had some issues as far as trying to get guys minutes,” said Nuggets assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr., who took the head-coaching duties in place of a suspended Malone on Monday. “It’s a perfect opportunity for guys who haven’t had a chance to play as much as they’d like.
“We have to have that ‘nextman-up’ mentality where, ‘All right, here’s your opportunity. Make the most of it.’ ”
With Millsap and starting small forward Wilson Chandler (lower back pain) out against the Kings, Faried returned to his coveted spot in the starting lineup and finished with six points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes. Plumlee (five points, seven rebounds, three assists in 20 minutes) re-
mained Denver’s first big man off the bench.
Trey Lyles, who had been the odd man out of the rotation, and Juancho Hernangomez, who recently returned from mononucleosis, are also likely to become bigger factors. Both can stretch the floor, with Lyles drilling back-to-back 3-pointers during the Nuggets’ key 19-9 third-quarter run to seize control against Sacramento and Hernangomez contributing 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting (including two 3pointers) and four rebounds in 22 minutes.
Rookie Tyler Lydon even made his NBA debut Monday night, while veterans Richard Jefferson and Darrell Arthur are options at the position.
A three-month recovery time would put Millsap’s return date around the All-Star break in midFebruary, a lengthy absence that could be a significant hit on Denver’s push for its first playoff berth since 2013.
Millsap is Denver’s secondleading scorer (15.3 points) and rebounder (6.2 per game) behind standout center Nikola Jokic and has been praised for his veteran leadership in the Nuggets’ locker room.
“We’ve said from the get-go, from training camp, that we’ve got depth, especially at that position,” Unseld said. “Those guys stepped up and made big plays (against the Kings). All of our bigs contributed.”
Notebook
Nuggets:
Denver will get its head coach back against the Rockets, as Michael Malone served a one-game suspension against the Kings for his actions toward the officials that resulted in an ejection in Sunday’s loss at the Los Angeles Lakers. … Forward Paul Millsap will undergo wrist surgery and is expected to miss three months, while Wilson Chandler’s status for Wednesday (lower back pain) is uncertain. … The Nuggets entered Tuesday leading the NBA in offensive rebounds (11.9 per game) and second-chance points (16.8). … Denver entered Tuesday still ranked last in the NBA in opponent points off turnovers (20.1), although the Rockets were 29th at 19.7 per game. … Nikola Jokic has recorded a double-double in five of his last seven games and entered Tuesday ranked 11th in the NBA in efficiency (25.2).