• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Nuggets-Timberwolves Preview

Mar 9, 2010 - 8:18 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Denver (42-21) at Minnesota (14-50), 8:00 p.m. EDT

Carmelo Anthony has been critical to the Denver Nuggets' success in his seven seasons. With the team's coach and leading rebounder and defender out, he will need others to pick up their play to help keep the Nuggets on the winning track.

The Nuggets open a four-game trip Wednesday night looking for a fourth consecutive win overall and sixth straight road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Anthony, among the league leaders with 28.7 points per game, has scored 30 or more in three straight games for the first time since a five-game run from Dec. 8-16. He has also been distributing the ball, recording at least four assists in each of the last four games.

"It's that time of the year I've got to start taking over, not so much scoring with the basketball, but making guys better, like I did tonight," he said after scoring 30 points with five assists in a 118-106 victory over Portland on Sunday.

Anthony's unselfish play set the tone for the Nuggets (42-21) over the last three games, as they averaged 29.0 assists in that span.

They may need to continue to share the ball consistently with Kenyon Martin out. The forward missed the last two contests and is sidelined indefinitely after beginning plasma therapy for chronic patella tendinitis Monday. Martin is averaging 11.8 points and a team-best 9.6 rebounds, and his physical defense is also a key to Denver's success.

After Joey Graham started for Martin and had eight points and three rebounds in a victory over Indiana on Friday, coach George Karl gave Johan Petro his first start of the season Sunday. The fifth-year center responded with six points and a season-high 10 boards.

"I was talking about it the last couple days, with Kenyon being out, guys got to step up," Anthony told the Nuggets' official Web site. "Johan was the guy tonight."

Graham, Petro or Malik Allen could start Wednesday as Denver tries to improve to 3-1 against the Timberwolves this season. The Nuggets have won by an average of nearly 21 points and held the Wolves to less than 78 per game in their five straight victories at the Target Center.

"It's a big road trip for us," said Anthony, who scored 22 points in a 124-111 win at Minnesota on Nov. 25. "Like I always say, we control our own destiny. If we go out there and take care of what we've got to do, we'll see what happens at the end."

The Nuggets, though, won't have Karl on the sidelines. Diagnosed with throat and neck cancer last month, Karl is continuing a six-week radiation and chemotherapy treatment. He could return Friday at New Orleans.

While Denver looks to avoid a third consecutive road loss, Minnesota (14-50) goes for its second victory since Feb. 6. Despite 36 points and 13 rebounds from Al Jefferson in his return from a two-game suspension for a DWI arrest, the Timberwolves lost 125-112 to Dallas on Monday.

Minnesota has lost six straight and six in a row at home.

Rookie point guard Jonny Flynn had eight assists but committed eight of the Wolves' 25 turnovers.

"A lot of it was just careless mistakes," Jefferson said. "We just didn't take care of the ball. We've just been kind of struggling with that all year."

The Wolves face a Denver team that has held teams to 39.7 percent shooting during its winning streak.

Minnesota snapped a 10-game slide to the Nuggets with a 106-100 victory in Denver on Nov. 29. It will try to split the season series after getting swept in four matchups in 2007-08 and 2008-09.