There were a few wayward attempts as Carmelo Anthony worked on his three-point shot Monday.

Baby on the brain, perhaps? Not so, according to the soon-to-be father.

"When I come in here, I just try to focus on basketball," Anthony said.

"It's hard not knowing what's to come in a couple days, but once I come in here, I get to focus on what I need to do on the court."

The start of a new Anthony generation could begin today. Anthony's fiancee, La La Vazquez, is scheduled to be induced, but Anthony is hoping to play for the Nuggets tonight against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.

Because of the uncertainties inherent to childbirth, Anthony does not know if he will miss any games. The Nuggets play again Wednesday at Golden State.

"I think we're cautious on Wednesday," coach George Karl said. "I think he'll go (to the Bay Area) on Wednesday is what my gut feeling is saying."

Anthony and Vazquez are expecting a boy.

Both are learning that the final days leading to the birth seem to be the longest of the pregnancy.

"Just waiting for it to happen," Anthony said. "The anticipation is always high this time when you're about to have a baby and about to be a father."

Anthony expects his son to be a calming influence for him, particularly after tough losses.

"Just coming home after games and seeing him and let him put a smile on my face," he said. "After we lose a game, I'll be down, but I can forget about it once I see him."

Karl, whose youngest daughter, Kaci, is a toddler, is excited for Anthony.

"I really think it means something to him," Karl said. "I'm not an expert on fatherhood by any means, but I think he's taking this pretty seriously.

"I'm sure there will be a lot of fantastic moments, but there'll be some evening in the future that he'll probably look tired out there on the court."

As for buying a baby gift, Karl claims to be a regular at Baby Gap and Gymboree.

"I love buying baby clothes," he said.

"With this team, I've had to have an escape; it's shopping for baby clothes."

PLAYOFF CHASE: Get ready to see and hear this phrase plenty over the next several weeks - playoff implications.

Instead of battling to defend their Northwest Division title, the Nuggets find themselves in a tight race just to qualify for the playoffs.

The Nuggets are seventh in the Western Conference, 1 1/2 games ahead of New Orleans/Oklahoma City and two clear of the Sacramento Kings.

The Los Angeles Clippers are one-half game behind the Nuggets as the four teams seek to claim the final two playoff spots in the West.

"It's unexpected," Nuggets guard DerMarr Johnson said. "We never figured we'd be in this position prior to the season, but we went through a lot this season and we're lucky that we're still in a position where we can go into the playoffs and turn it up at the right time."

Tonight's game is critical because the Nuggets trail 2-0 in the four-game season series with the Hornets. Head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker in determining playoff qualifiers

On paper, New Orleans/Oklahoma City has the easiest schedule of the four bubble teams.

The Hornets have nine games remaining against teams that currently are .500 or better.

The Nuggets will face 13 such teams down the stretch, the Kings 12 and the Clippers 11.

"My gut feeling is we can separate (from the pack)," Karl said. "I think we're good enough.

"It's going to be the team that comes together and gets stronger and gets better. If we play like we're playing now and qualify, we're going to get beat in the first round. I'd like to move in a direction to make the first-round series a dangerous series for somebody."

MORE WORKOUTS: Swingmen Luke Jackson, Joe Shipp and Von Wafer went through a second workout for the Nuggets on Monday, but none left with a 10-day contract.

Nuggets vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman said a decision depends partly on the status of guard J.R. Smith, who is recovering from left knee surgery.

Wafer, who has played most of this season with the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Developmental League, said he was given no indication of Denver's plans but it doesn't appear the Nuggets are in any rush to add a player.

"They just told everybody they'd be in touch," Wafer said.

Hornets at Nuggets

? When: 7 tonight.

? Where: Pepsi Center.

? TV/radio: Altitude; KEPN-AM (1600).

? Starting lineups

N.O./OKC (28-32) Pos. Ht. Pts.

24 Desmond Mason F 6-5 14.3

30 David West F 6-9 17.0

6 Tyson Chandler C 7-1 8.8

23 Devin Brown G 6-5 11.8

3 Chris Paul G 6-0 17.3

Coach: Byron Scott

Denver (28-29) Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 30.4

31 Nene F 6-11 11.2

23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 11.3

5 Yakhouba Diawara G 6-7 4.8

3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 28.0

Coach: George Karl

? Injuries: New Orleans/Oklahoma City - G Peja Stojakovic (back surgery) is out. Denver - G J.R. Smith (left knee surgery) and F Kenyon Martin (right knee surgery) are out.

? Notes: The Hornets trail the Nuggets by 1 1/2 games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Sacramento and the Los Angeles Clippers also are among the four teams fighting for two spots. "We better start winning games because those two teams in front of us (Denver and Los Angeles) aren't going to keep losing," Scott said. "Now Sacramento's winning. Everybody's forgotten about them, but they're sneaking back up there." . . . Camby did not practice Sunday or Monday. He has missed 11 games this season. . . . Nene is averaging 16.6 points and seven rebounds in 14 games since being inserted into the starting lineup Feb. 2. . . . Iverson leads the NBA at 42.9 minutes a game. . . . The Hornets have beaten the Nuggets twice this season, including 114-112 in overtime Feb. 7 at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter in the game. . . . Six Nuggets have scored in double figures in each of the past two games. . . . Chandler has recorded 12 straight double-doubles and his 19 consecutive double-figure rebound games is the longest active streak in the NBA.

lopezaa@RockyMountainNews.com

Back to Top