The Denver Nuggets went 1-8 without star guard Ty Lawson in the lineup for most of February, but he's coming back from a fractured rib just in time for tonight's game in Denver against a Wolves team looking to end its longest road trip of the season 4-1.

Lawson will start for the Nuggets and he told coach Brian Shaw he's ready to play all 48 minutes, which, of course, he won't do.

Shaw said he expects Lawson to be a "little rusty" but added the response of Lawson's teammates at Monday's shootaround is an indication that whatever Lawson can give will be good.

"Everybody was in a good mood because of that," he said, referring to Lawson's return. "When you add that element of speed, he makes everything easier for everybody else."

Wolves coach Rick Adelman called the Nuggets a "totally different team" with their most explosive player back.

"He's the guy who gets their engine going," Adelman said. "The first two times they had him, we lost. We have to find ways to control him."

The Wolves lost to the Nuggets twice in November when Lawson played and thumped Denver at home last month during that nine-game stretch when he was out injured.

Both Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin said before tonight's game that they came through Saturday's return at Sacramento feeling fine physically.


: it's a totally different team, he's the guy who gets their engine going, they've got five in a row and 1-8 woithout him, so he's back, all those athletes they have, he delviers the ball and gets them going, so its first two times they had him, we lost, we have to find ways to cpnotrol him