Nuggets' Kenneth Faried: Remains without timetable for a return

Coach Michael Malone said Thursday that Faried (back) remains without an official timetable for a return, Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports reports.

Analysis:

Faried has missed six consecutive games because of lower-back spasms, and though Malone indicated the big man has made some improvement since initially suffering from the issue, he's still not especially close to playing. That likely means that he can be ruled out for at least the Nuggets' weekend back-to-back set Friday against the Celtics and Saturday against the Kings, leaving Wilson Chandler in line for continued run as the team's starting power forward. Chandler is averaging 18.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.0 three-pointers and 1.0 steal in 33.3 minutes over the last six contests.