After practice, Garnett raring to go

No decision yet, but he 'feels great'

Kevin Garnett was mostly a spectator over All-Star Weekend but may well be back in full uniform for the Celtics tonight. (timothy a. clary/AFP/Getty Images)

DENVER - As injured Celtics forward Kevin Garnett was about to depart from practice at the Denver Athletic Club last night, Nuggets fan Tim Schimberg yelled out, "You got one more game to sit out."

It was Garnett's first practice since sitting out nine games with an abdominal strain, but afterward he didn't give definitive word that he would return tonight against the Nuggets. But judging by the way he looked while taking part in the entire practice, and his wide smile afterward, he seems likely to disappoint Schimberg. Ultimately, coach Doc Rivers and trainer Ed Lacerte will make a final decision today.

"I feel great," Garnett said. "It felt good. For the most part, it was good to be out there battling, going over some things and helping the team to get better. It's just good to be out [there], to tell you the truth. It felt good.

"Doc Rivers might have a different assessment than that. Either way, I feel good with it."

Garnett suffered the injury Jan. 25 against Minnesota, and the Celtics are actually 7-2 without him. He worked out over All-Star Weekend in New Orleans but it wasn't until last night that he took part in a team practice.

Garnett ran the floor smoothly and shot well during a scrimmage. He didn't have any problems doing stretches after practice and took part in his usual shooting routine with assistant coach Tom Thibodeau after practice, too.

"I've been shooting, been doing light running," Garnett said. "Over this last week, I've been working on being explosive, dunking the ball, playing with a lot more energy and getting back to my style of play."

Assistant coach Armond Hill said Garnett had no setbacks yesterday. Garnett also said his conditioning felt "pretty good" in the Mile High air, and for the second straight day, he jokingly asked the media to urge Rivers to put him back on the floor in the "Play KG Campaign."

"I went pretty hard today," Garnett said. "I went really hard. There was a lot of fire in practice today, a lot of energy in the building. It was a good practice."

Garnett's All-Star teammates, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, were impressed. "I thought he looked good," said Allen. "He's been on the mend for a couple of days. He's been able to run and move his legs. The time off definitely feels good to him. I'm sure he's definitely ready to be back."

"He looked good," said Pierce. "He ran through the whole practice, knocked down some shots. He looked better than I expected."

Nuggets star Allen Iverson has said he hopes he sees his good friend on the floor tonight.

"Besides myself, I'd like to see KG [win a title] because he hasn't had one and all the hard work and dedication he's put in," Iverson said. "You just want to see a guy like that get it. He's a team player. He's a great basketball player and I'm cool with him also."

Nuggets teammate Carmelo Anthony said, "I'm pretty sure he'll be back against us."

Garnett isn't the only Celtic on the mend.

Starting center Kendrick Perkins said he expects to play after missing three games with a left shoulder sprain. Reserve center Scot Pollard is wearing ankle braces and is expected to play for the first time since Jan. 9. And rookie forward Glen Davis is expected to play despite recently suffering a strained left quadriceps and a knee bruise.

"It felt good," Perkins said. "I got to do a lot of banging, do a lot of contact. It felt really well. I'm expecting to play."

Forward Brian Scalabrine, however, said he will miss the game with a right groin injury but hopes to be available Friday at Phoenix.

"I feel like a pinch, like a grabbing sensation when I push off," Scalabrine said. "Besides that, it feels all right."

Rivers also left practice early and went back to the hotel with flulike symptoms that bothered him during All-Star Weekend.

For the Nuggets, Kenyon Martin will be a game-time decision because of strep throat.

The Celtics are a surprising 16-0 against the Western Conference, including recent wins over reigning champion San Antonio and Dallas. But beginning tonight, they are embarking on their most challenging Western trip thus far.

Tomorrow they face Golden State, which, like Denver, is 32-20. Then there is Friday's game against the hot Suns (37-16) - and superstar newcomer Shaquille O'Neal - followed by the young and exciting Trail Blazers (28-24) Sunday and the struggling Clippers (17-33) Monday.

"If you look at this trip, it's a little bit stronger," Pierce said. "You got Phoenix, Denver, Golden State, and then at this point in the season everybody's jockeying for playoff position. It's going to be our roughest road trip to date."

Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com.