(AP)

The 76ers’ Lavoy Allen will miss the next two games, beginning Friday against visiting Detroit.

Allen has a nagging right calf injury from which the Sixers would prefer not to rush him back. The third-year forward will sit Friday vs. Detroit and Saturday against visiting New York.

“The medical staff would use really big words and give you a better answer. He’s got a sore calf and can’t play tonight,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “In relation to the longevity of it, it might be as severe as we first thought. Is it going to keep him out a long time? We don’t suspect that. My experience with calf injuries is not a good one. We saw many good players – Brent Barry comes to mind – where if you go too fast, and you rush it back, it can knock out another six weeks. We just want to be smart with it. Most definitely, he will be out the next two games.”

Also of note, the Sixers listed as a probable starter against the Pistons. The shooting guard got his first start since Nov. 29. Hollis Thompson had started the last 18 games at that spot.

James Anderson

(AP)

DENVER – In the thin air of the Mile High City, 76ers coach Brett Brown ran Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young ragged. Both played 40 minutes Wednesday, in the Sixers’ 114-102 win over the Nuggets, the first game of a back-to-back nights scenario.

Brown likely will have to get creative tonight in Sacramento and Saturday in Portland, with how he doles out minutes as his team concludes its West Coast road trip. The coach got a sampling of that against the Nuggets, when he had to juggle rotations with Michael Carter-Williams and Spencer Hawes in foul trouble throughout the night.

The result: some good stuff.

Lavoy Allen, pictured, with 12 points, turned in a season-best scoring effort. James Anderson, who had 12 points and four boards, was big in the fastbreak game and on the defensive end. Even Elliot Williams, who only flashed onto the court for seven-plus minutes, provided pleasant play.

“We have some depth,” Brown said. “I was nervous. I was going too long with Spencer, even with two fouls, and that’s a dangerous decision. We persevered with that. I couldn’t get him out sooner, and Lavoy came in. Then you start looking around at who was tired. I ran Thaddeus and Evan into the ground in the first period. … Elliot came in and gave us a burst. James came in and continued to play really well. I feel, what I learned is, we have depth. We’re cultivating depth. We’re growing young players who are able to come in and play NBA games and do well.”

*****

Two editorial notes here: 1. I won’t be following the Sixers on their final two stops on the road trip. Instead, I’ll be in Denver tonight and Phoenix Saturday, for the Flyers’ games out this way. 2. My apologies for the look of the blog. The smart, computer people tell me the site is getting a redesign of sorts, and it’ll be back to normal soon.

(AP)

Part of James Anderson’s matriculation into the 76ers has been adjustment. Namely, evolving into a shooting guard who doesn’t shoot all that much.

Anderson has attempted only 46 shots through the Sixers’ first seven games, an average of 6.5 shots per game. And while he’s hitting at a 41-percent clip, Anderson has become more of a defense-first option for coach Brett Brown.

That doesn’t come as a surprise to Anderson’s former coach.

“(Anderson) is pretty good at a lot of areas. Hopefully, at some point, he’ll get really good at something,” said Gregg Popovich, whose San Antonio team was in town for Monday’s date with the Sixers. “He does many different things, and this is a chance for him to gain some confidence and find his way. He really enjoys Brett and has a relationship with him. Brett is a great confidence-builder. He knows how to make people feel like the greatest player that ever lived at that position, so he’ll be good for someone like James Anderson, who needs that confidence.”

Anderson, who played for the Spurs for two seasons, from 2010-12, is averaging 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 33.4 minutes per game, a total that demonstrates his penchant for putting the ball in teammates’ hands. He’s shooting 41 percent overall (19-for-46) and 32 percent from 3-point range (8-for-25).

There’s a chance Anderson, the 20^th pick in the 2010 draft, would’ve latched on with San Antonio if not for depth on Popovich’s roster.

“The only reason he didn’t stick was we didn’t have space. We had bodies,” Popovich said. “There was no place else to put him. What I remember about his most is what you’ve seen – coaches love him. He does whatever you ask him to do.”

And Anderson is OK with that.

“It’s been a big challenge for me, going out and trying to defend the top shooting guards in the league,” he said following the Sixers’ shootaround Monday. “I’ve been aggressive at the other end, too. I’m just doing anything I can to help this team.”