Sunday was the Nuggets' first time back at practice in some time. But although the schedule finally allowed for court time, many players sat out, nursing various injuries. At the top of the list was guard Anthony Carter, whose hip strain kept him out of the Nuggets' game against the Lakers on Friday night. He is considered day to day for a chronic injury. Carter missed four games last season because of the same left hip strain. The veteran refused to talk about his condition Sunday. Forward Chris Andersen is dealing with right knee tendinitis. According to the Nuggets' injury report, Andersen has been dealing with the condition for several days. But he certainly didn't let it bother him against the Lakers as he finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and a blocked shot.
Guard Ty Lawson, who made the play of the game with a dunk over Lakers 7-footer D.J. Mbenga, hurt himself on that play. He strained his left calf on the landing and did not practice.
"I'll be all right," Lawson said.
After practice, Lawson did some shooting while remaining stationary.
And Kenyon Martin has been dealing with leg and knee issues for the better part of the early season. He has left patella tendinitis and did not practice either, although Martin is adamant when he says he will not miss a game.
"I'm going to play," Martin said. "My teammates need me."
All except for Carter are expected to play Tuesday against Toronto.
Besides a number of players resting various injuries, Nuggets coach George Karl was pleased to be back on the practice court.
"We have a lot of guys banged up, but it was a good practice," Karl said. "We got to tune up some things that we liked. We've been practicing through shootarounds and timeouts. It was good to get them up and down the court to get them to understand what I want, what's worked and what needs to improve."
The Nuggets face a potent Raptors unit that played Sunday night against Phoenix. A retooled roster added free-agent sharpshooter Hedo Turkoglu in the offseason to a lineup featuring star forward Chris Bosh, blossoming star Andrea Bargnani and crafty guard Jose Calderon.
"I haven't studied them a lot, but offensively they are a very effective team," Karl said. "They score, per possession, maybe in the top five in Basketball. Bosh is having an incredible year. His touches are high effectiveness."
As for Bargnani, Karl said, "Anytime you've got a 7-footer that can shoot it or drive it and make good decisions at both, it's pretty important."
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
Play Basketball Hot Streak and win prizes!
