Nuggets G Smith to undergo knee surgery, out 3-4 weeks

Feb 21, 2007 - 10:21 PM DENVER (Ticker) -- A day after Allen Iverson returned, the Denver Nuggets learned that guard J.R. Smith will be sidelined for at least three weeks.

Smith suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee in the second quarter of the Nuggets' 95-80 loss at San Antonio on Tuesday.

Denver had just welcomed back Iverson, who scored nine points on 3-of-11 shooting in the loss to the Spurs. It was Iverson's first game since February 7 and just his second since January 29 due to a sprained right ankle.

Smith has averaged a career-high 15.4 points in 42 games this season. He leads the team in 3-pointers with 114.

The Nuggets acquired Smith from the Chicago Bulls in the offseason for guard Howard Eisley and two second-round picks in 2007.

A first-round pick out of high school by New Orleans in 2004, Smith averaged 9.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 131 games with the Hornets in his first two seasons. He was traded to the Bulls along with veteran forward P.J. Brown for center Tyson Chandler.