Aaron Gray could play in an emergency

Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro suggested Aaron Gray could be used in tonight’s game in an extreme emergency. Most likely, Gray’s return figures to happen in Utah next Thursday at the earliest.

“If we need him, we’ll throw him out there,” Del Negro said before the contest.

The third-year center has been out since early in training camp with a stress fracture in his left fibula. He met the Bulls in Denver and participated in Saturday’s shootaround.

In the meantime, the Nuggets will be at full strength for one of the few times this season. Coach George Karl said power forward Chris “Birdman” Andersen is ready to play after sitting out Friday against the Clippers due to tendonitis in his knee.

“They’re a good young team on a long road trip that I think is going to come in here thinking this is a game they could steal because we played last night," Karl added. "You’ve just got to find the energy and intensity to figure out how to compete. If we do that, I think we’ll figure out how to win the game."