Nuggets F Anthony cleared to return

Jan 29, 2009 - 8:36 PM DENVER (Ticker) -- Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony has been cleared by doctors and will play in Friday's game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

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

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

The Nuggets (30-16) have gone 6-4 without the two-time All-Star.

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.