Anthony, Smith miss shootaround after auto accident
DENVER (AP) -- Denver Nuggets players Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith were involved in a fender bender on their way to the team shootaround Friday morning, coach George Karl said.
Neither player was injured and both will play against Portland on Friday night, Karl said.
They missed the shootaround so they could take care of paperwork following the mishap.
Team spokesman Eric Sebastian said Smith was driving one of Anthony's cars but didn't have any other details.
The accident came a day after Anthony, the league's leading scorer, was snubbed from the Western Conference All-Star squad.
With Houston's Yao Ming and Utah's Carlos Boozer both injured, Anthony could still be selected by commissioner David Stern. The commissioner suspended Anthony for 15 games earlier this season for his role in a brawl with the New York Knicks, and the Western Conference coaches who pick the reserves snubbed him.
"I think there's a lot of hope," Karl said. "I think Melo was one of the top five players in basketball before the suspension. Visually, it's hard to remember when you're seeing other guys play for 37 or 38 days. I think it's basically psychological -- what you're familiar with is what you probably vote on. I hope the commissioner can professionally evaluate and select who I would select, and that would be Melo."
Allen Iverson, who was named to his eighth straight All-Star game, also missed the shootaround. He was traveling back to Denver from a family funeral, and will be a game-time decision because of a sprained ankle that kept him out of the Nuggets' loss at Portland on Wednesday night.
