Kenneth Faried tells Denver Post he will “definitely” play in Game 2

November 10, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors shooting guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets small forward Kenneth Faried (35, left) during the second overtime at ORACLE Arena. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 107-101 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Kenneth Faried says he will definitely play Tuesday in the Denver Nuggets’ Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors, writes Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post.

Faried sprained his left ankle against the Bucks on April 15. Then, he vowed to be ready for the playoffs. He averaged 11.8 points and 9.3 rebounds during the regular season. The Nuggets will need Faried’s presence on the floor after losing the rebounding battle in the first game of the playoffs 55-to-45 against the Warriors.

In their regular season series against Denver, the Warriors scored 94.9 points per 100 possessions with Faried on the court and grabbed just 19.5 percent of their missed opportunities, a full six percent lower than their season average. With Faried on the Nuggets’ bench, the Warriors’ offensive rating jumped up to 111.9 and their offensive rebounding rate climbed to 28.9 percent.

Denver won the first game of its series against the Warriors behind a heroic effort from 37-year-old back up point guard Andre Miller. Miller scored 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting and scored the game winning layup with time running out.

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