Allen Iverson can run just fine on his sprained right ankle. Now if the Denver Nuggets point guard could only cut on it. Iverson made it through the entire practice Tuesday afternoon on the tender ankle and remains optimistic he’ll be ready for the game against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on Wednesday night. Iverson has missed four straight games with the ankle injury he suffered against Charlotte on Jan. 29.
“(The ankle) bothered me on a couple cuts and drives to the basket (in practice), but that’s to be expected,” Iverson said. “Hopefully (Wednesday) it won’t stiffen up on me or swell up on me and I’ll be able to go.”
A limited Iverson is better than no Iverson, at least in Denver coach George Karl’s opinion. Iverson is still listed as a game-time decision.
“Allen knows we’re in a position where his presence is going to help us, whatever it is, 70 percent, 80 percent,” Karl said. “I think his presence on the court will help us. He’s a pro. He knows how to figure out what he can do, what he can’t do. I think we could use him.”
The status of center Marcus Camby may be a different story. He’s listed as doubtful for the Hornets game with a strained left groin.
Camby missed four games earlier in the season with a fractured right hand and has been playing for more than a month with it taped up.
“My hand is healing and getting better, but with groins and stuff like that you’ve got to be careful,” said Camby, who’s currently leading the league in blocks (3.13) and is second in rebounds (12.2). “You’ve got to be smart about it.”
And while Carmelo Anthony (left wrist sprain) and Steve Blake (stitches in his lip and a hyperextended elbow) both received treatment Tuesday, neither is expected to miss the game against the Hornets. Anthony, who recorded his first career triple-double in a loss to Phoenix on Monday night, reported experiencing some soreness in his left wrist but still practiced Tuesday.
