Denver Nuggets Injury Update: Nene Practices On Friday, Appears Ready For Season Opener

According to Nuggets beat writer Aaron Lopez, the team's injury situation is improving:

Nuggets PF Nene practiced Friday and looks ready for Monday's opener in Dallas. [Ty Lawson] (ankle) also expects to play vs. Mavs.

Lopez added that he believes both players will be in Denver's starting lineup when the team opens the regular season on Dec. 26 against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. Nene has been hampered by a hamstring injury, while Lawson injured an ankle in practice on Wednesday; both have been considered day-to-day injuries. Lawson is getting four full days of rest between the injury and the season opener.

The team defeated the Phoenix Suns 110-85 in its preseason tuneup on Thursday night. Danilo Gallinari led the team in scoring in the absence of Lawson and Nene.

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Denver Nuggets Waive Cory Higgins, Michael Ruffin

The Denver Nuggets waived former Colorado Buffaloes standout Cory Higgins and local product Michael Ruffin on Friday, reports Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. Higgins joined the Nuggets as an undrafted free agent in December, though he had been the No. 7 overall pick in the NBA Developmental League's draft back in November. He averaged 12.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists over five games.

The Nuggets also waived Michael Ruffin, a Denver Native, who had missed the last couple of years in the NBA while coaching the local ABA club before playing in Spain.

Only Higgins saw action in the preseason while Ruffin sat on the bench. Higgins is likely heading back to the Developmental League where he will look to hone his game and work his way back into the NBA picture.

Hochman notes that Julyan Stone, a rookie from UTEP, will stick with the team.

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Nuggets Vs. Suns Final Score: Denver Wins 110-85, Completes Short Preseason Undefeated

The Denver Nuggets are gearing up for the NBA regular season in fashion, as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 110-85 on Thursday night to close out the two-game preseason schedule. The Nuggets also beat the Suns on Dec. 20, and now they can go into their regular season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 26 with at least a little bit of momentum.

Denver got off to a really strong start on Thursday night before letting the Suns get back into things, but they got ahold of the lead once again in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth. Late in the third quarter, the Nuggets were leading 77-71, but they proceeded to go on a 18-3 run that basically put the game out of Phoenix's reach.

Danilo Gallinari powered the Nuggets' offense with 23 points, and Corey Brewer came off the bench to put up 20 points. The team's starting backcourt, Andre Miller and Arron Afflalo, struggled with its shot, making just 4 of 16 attempts, but Miller did throw up another double-digit assist total. 

The Suns struggled offensively for most of the night, with Steve Nash competing the game with just five points. The team shot a combined 37 percent from the field, 30 percent from three-point range and 63 percent from the free throw line, so in general this was just one of those nights for Phoenix. Jared Dudley led the team in scoring with 17 points and Hakim Warrick scored 15 off the bench, but it was a lackluster effort in general.

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NBA Preseason 2011, Nuggets Vs. Suns: Denver Heads South In Final Tuneup Before Regular Season Begins

The Denver Nuggets conclude the 2011 NBA preseason by completing a home-and-home series with the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. After a 127-110 victory over the Suns on Tuesday night, however, the Nuggets will be without a couple of starters for the game.

Nene and Ty Lawson will sit out the game with a tight hamstring and an ankle injury (via Aaron J. Lopez). Rudy Fernandez will miss the game due to a right knee strain.

For the Suns, Marcin Gortat will not start after injuring his thumb in Tuesday contest. Robin Lopez will start in his place, reports SB Nation Arizona. Grant Hill is expected to make his debut on Thursday while Steve Nash, Channing Frye and Jared Dudley will start again for the Suns.

This game will not be televised, but tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT.

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Arron Afflalo Practices With Nuggets On Wednesday For First Time This Season

The Denver Nuggets have been without one of their key players recently as he was finishing off negotiations on a new contract extension, but shooting guard Arron Afflalo is back in practice with his teammates on Wednesday. Afflalo recently agreed to a five-year, $43 million contract extension with the Nuggets as a restricted free agent, confirming that he's going to be integral to Denver's success in the future.

Afflalo, 26, has spent the past two years with the Nuggets after being drafted by the Detroit Pistons. After emerging as the Nuggets' starting shooting guard during the 2009-2010 season, Afflalo established himself as a high-quality option at the position last season given his defensive skills and ability to make shots. He's not an impact player on offense, but he's an exceptional defender on the wings and he added 12.6 points per game with Denver last season. 

A strong shooter that's nailed 41 percent of the three-point shots that he's taken in his NBA career, Afflalo is expected to emerge as a leader on a young team. Only four players on the roster have more NBA experience than the former UCLA Bruin, whose expected to take an expanded role with the team going forward. The Nuggets should have one of the more intriguing young backcourts in the NBA this season with Ty Lawson and Afflalo leading the way.

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Denver Nuggets Injury Update: Nene, Ty Lawson Labeled As 'Day-To-Day'

The Denver Nuggets are trying to round into form as they prepare for the NBA regular season with a pair of preseason games against the Phoenix Suns, but for now one of their top priorities is simply to get healthy. According to Aaron Lopez of NBA.com, Nuggets center Nene is dealing with right hamstring tightness and point guard Ty Lawson left practice on Wednesday with a sprained left ankle. 

Lopez notes that both players are labeled as "day-to-day" at this point, so neither injury should be a major factor long-term. Hearing about injuries with Nene has to make Nuggets fans cringe given the issues he's had in the past, but he's played in at least 75 games in each of the past three seasons. From 2005 through 2007, Nene played in just 81 of Denver's 246 games in that time period.

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Marcin Gortat Injury Update: Gortat Will Have Thumb Re-Examined On Wednesday

Phoenix Suns center Marcin Gortat, who fractured his thumb in Phoenix's preseason match up vs. the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night when Denver forward Rudy Fernandez swiped at the ball, will have his injury re-examined on Wednesday, according to the Arizona Republic's Paul Coro.

Gortat's thumb fracture will be re-examined today. He's determined to not miss time. It happened on a Rudy Fernandez reach. @aka_MR_FANTASY

— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) December 21, 2011

According to Coro, Gortat is set on not missing any time this season, though that may be tough depending on the severity of the fracture. Gortat, who came into his own last season after being traded to Phoenix, is an important cog in the middle of a typically outside, and offense, oriented Suns team. He averaged 13.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for the Suns last season.

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Suns Vs. Nuggets Final Score: Denver Wins 127-110 In Preseason Opener

The Denver Nuggets looked to be in pretty good shape in their preseason opener, defeating the Phoenix Suns 127-110 on Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center. 14 different players managed to get on the board for Denver in the game, as the Nuggets rode an impressive offensive performance to the victory.

With each team getting only two preseason games to prepare for the NBA season, the Nuggets had to be pleased by how they played on Tuesday night. They managed to shoot 53 percent from the field for the game, scoring 127 points despite missing 14 free throw attempts during the game. With Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Nene and Al Harrington all in the double-digits in scoring, everyone got in the action for the Nuggets.

The Suns weren't as lucky, though. Seven different players scored 10 or more points for Phoenix on Tuesday night, but they struggled with turnovers in the first half and fouls throughout the game. Porous defense was also an obvious theme throughout the game for the Suns, who struggled to limit Denver's strong offense. The two teams face off again on Dec. 22 before the regular season kicks off later this week.

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Suns Vs. Nuggets Score Update: Denver Leads 97-81 After Three Quarters

The Denver Nuggets continue to expand their lead against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night as the two teams kick off a two-game preseason series before the NBA regular season kicks off soon. Denver now leads 97-81 after three quarters at the Pepsi Center.

Offense has carried the Nuggets so far tonight, as they've shot 52 percent from the field so far. Denver's backcourt has been absolutely huge tonight, as Ty Lawson and Andre Miller have really led the way. Lawson leads the Nuggets in scoring with 21 points and has 7 rebounds as well, while Miller has 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in addition to his 8 points. 

The Suns just haven't really gotten things going offensively so far. Marcin Gortat has 14 points on the night while Steve Nash, Jared Dudley and Shannon Brown have added 11 points apiece, but they're shooting just 43 percent from the field so far. Channing Frye has been a major drain on the offense, shooting just 1-for-8 from the field while missing all six of his three-point shot attempts.

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Suns Vs. Nuggets Score Update: Denver Leads 63-49 Over Phoenix At Halftime

After a strong performance in the second quarter, and a mistake-laden performance by the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets have a 63-49 lead over the Suns at halftime on Tuesday night. Both teams are opening a two-game preseason series against one another before kicking off the abbreviated NBA season later this week.

Denver has played well so far, but mostly it's been mistakes by Phoenix that have led to a sizable advantage. The Suns struggled with turnovers, losing the ball 12 times in the first half, as well as fouls, committing 15 of them. Point guard Sebastian Telfair was the biggest offender, posting four turnovers and three fouls in just six minutes of play. 

Ty Lawson was one of four Nuggets players to be in double-figures in scoring, leading the way with 13 points. Al Harrington and Danilo Gallinari each have 12 points apiece, and Nene added 10 points in just seven minutes. Andre Miller has also been impressive for Denver so far, filling the box score with 8 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block.

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Suns Vs. Nuggets Score Update: Ty Lawson Leading Denver To Early Lead

The Denver Nuggets open their two-game preseason series against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center, and they're leading 48-41 over the Suns in the second quarter. Point guard Ty Lawson is leading the way for the Nuggets so far as he begins to show that he'll be a major player for Denver this season.

It's been a pretty tight game so far, with neither team really being able to make a major stand so far. Denver ended the first quarter on a 10-4 run to take a six-point lead into the second, and they're still holding onto that lead so far. Lawson has been impressive for Denver so far, scoring 13 points while adding six rebounds, two steals and two assists. Nene has also been big for the Nuggets, scoring 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field so far. 

Phoenix is putting on an impressive effort from inside the three-point line so far tonight, shooting 17-for-28 (61 percent) from two-point range but just 1-for-9 from outside. Marcin Gortat and Steve Nash lead the way for Phoenix in scoring so far with 8 points apiece, while Jared Dudley has added 6 points. 

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NBA Preseason, Suns Vs. Nuggets: Denver Will Start Ty Lawson, Andre Miller In Back Court

The Denver Nuggets begin the preseason against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. Ty Lawson and Andre Miller are expected to start in the back court for Denver.