Nuggets F Anthony hopes to return Friday

Jan 27, 2009 - 3:46 PM DENVER (Ticker) -- Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony expects to return to the lineup for Friday's home game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

The 6-8 forward has been sidelined since suffering a fractured right hand on January 5.

Anthony told the Rocky Mountain News on Monday that he'll have the hand examined Thursday and should be cleared to play.

Denver's leading scorer at 21.1 points per game, Anthony would rejoin a Nuggets team that continues to hold down first place in the Northwest Division.

The Nuggets (29-15) have gone 5-3 without the the two-time All-Star and still have games against Memphis and New Orleans on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

The broken shooting hand constituted the latest setback in what has been a painful season for the usually durable Anthony, who also missed five games earlier in the campaign due to an injured right elbow.

Additionally, the 24-year-old missed Denver's first two games this season while serving a league-mandated suspension stemming from a DUI last April.