Injured Kenneth Faried Hopes to Play in Game 1 of the Playoffs

A severely sprained left ankle could keep Kenneth Faried out of the Denver Nuggets’ postseason opener against the Golden State Warriors. Faried is hoping that won’t be the case. Per the Denver Post: “Will Kenneth Faried play in Game 1 of the Golden State playoff series? ‘Hopefully,’ the Nuggets forward said Thursday. ‘I’m not making any promises, but if I’m cleared, I’m playing.’ Faried has been unable to play since suffering an ankle injury last Sunday against Portland. Coach George Karl said the second-year pro has been getting treatment three to four hours each day. Denver’s playoff opener against the Warriors is Saturday at the Pepsi Center. ‘When (the injury) happened, I thought something broke,’ Faried said after practice Thursday. ‘I couldn’t put any pressure on it, it was hurting. But when the X-rays came back negative, I was happy. I feel physically better, I can walk without a boot. I can walk barefoot now. It’s just getting better and better each day. If I can walk, I can play. We’ll just see how good the tape job is.'”