Carmelo Anthony Out Three to Four Weeks

At the 9:44 mark in the third quarter of last night’s matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers at the Pepsi Center, Carmelo Anthony injured his right hand.

After a visit to a Denver-based hand specialist, Dr. Carlton Clinkscales, it was determined that Nuggets F Carmelo Anthony has a non-displaced third metacarpal fracture in his shooting hand. This will sideline the All-Star up to four weeks, but his shooting hand should be healed enough to play within three weeks.

On Tuesday, the team said that Anthony would be fitted for a removable splint after breaking a bone in his right hand.  It occurred in a victory over the Indiana Pacers the night before.

Anthony was injured early in the third quarter when Pacers center Jeff Foster swatted at the ball, catching part of Anthony's hand.

Anthony continued to play despite numbness in the hand, scoring 21 points before leaving late in the fourth quarter of a 135-115 win.

The Denver Nuggets are off to the best start in franchise history at 24-12, and in the middle of a franchise-record seven-game home stand. The Nuggets hold a two-game lead over the Portland Trailblazers and a two-and-a-half game lead over the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference's Northwest Division.

Chauncey Billups has brought much-needed veteran leadership to Denver, and hopefully it will be enough to keep the Nuggets performing at a high level while Anthony is sidelined. Expect Denver swingman Renaldo Balkman to see more of the court in Melo’s absence.