Steve Nash is still battling through a groin injury similar to the one he suffered in November. He's working hard on his rehab, to the point that the twice daily movement exercises are leaving him with tired legs in games. Between the rehab work and injury itself, his ability to shoot the ball is diminished.
"I'm not moving well, I can't shoot well, I just don't have the facilities to do it right now," Nash said after shootaround this morning. He's 3-21 from the three-point line in the last nine games.
So far, defenses aren't playing him differently but Steve is confident that if they lay off him he will hit enough shots to make them pay. Coach Gentry was asked if he would adjust anything in a late-game situation based on Nash's situation. Not a chance.
"Even if he's 2-15, if there's an open shot to be had we'd like for him to be the guy shooting it," Gentry said, "We wouldn't deviate at all in that situation, Steve's going to be involved in the play."
The good news is that Nash feels like he's making progress and didn't suffer any set back in the Suns Tuesday game against the Rockets in which he played 35 minutes and scored nine points to go with 14 assists.
"I feel like if anything I'm improving and not getting worse. I'm not right, but I'm getting there. Just got to keep working at it," Nash said.
Other Notes:
- Denver has an 11-20 road record and hasn't won here in their last 12 tries with the last win in Phoenix coming on April 7, 2004. George Karl hasn't won in Phoenix since he coached the Sonics (December 28, 1997).
- Gentry said he's not adjusted his play-calling too much with Frye out. In the last game, the Rockets were trapping the post and the bigs did a good job moving the ball. "We don't run a whole lot of plays where our forwards end up being facilitators."
- Arron Afflalo won't play for the Nuggets tonight. Gary Forbes will start but expect to see Felton and Lawson together in the back court. That's tough to defend but at the same time, Carter or Pietrus will be able to post them up.