Paul Millsap practices, but is unlikely to play this week
The Denver Nuggets have had to navigate the majority of the 2017-18 season without their big offseason addition, Paul Millsap. Good news appears to be on the horizon, though, as the former All-Star is closing in on a return.
Millsap has been out since mid November after suffering a torn ligament in his left wrist that required surgery. The last time he suited up — on Nov. 19 — the Nuggets were 9-7 and still finding their rhythm to the season. Before the All-Star break, Denver got more into a groove by winning six of its last seven games, including victories against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.
As for Millsap, he went through a full practice yesterday and was glad to be back in the Nuggets’ mix. He doesn’t think he’ll return this week, writes Nick Kosminder of the Denver Post, but he’s hoping his time out of the lineup will end soon:
Millsap, who has been out since the middle of November after undergoing wrist surgery, said he’s unlikely to play this week. But his return to a full practice Wednesday was important step as Denver’s big free-agent acquisition aims to return in time to help the Nuggets make a finishing push toward the playoffs.
“Hopefully, pretty soon,” Millsap said when asked about the specific timetable for his return. “It feels good now. We’ll see how it feels in the morning or after (Thursday’s) practice, and we’ll go from there. My intention was to come right back after the all-star break and get into it, but we have to be smart about it. This was my first practice today, full contact, and I have to be smart about my wrist and my body.”
Additionally, Kosminder reports, the Nuggets will have backup big man Miles Plumlee in the mix tomorrow night against the Spurs (9 ET, NBA League Pass). Plumlee had been out since Jan. 29 with a calf injury.
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