" Ty Lawson returned to the Nuggets on Tuesday, but coach George Karl was cautious before the game — and it had nothing to do with Lawson's sprained ankle.

"The one thing with Ty and Andre (Miller), they create a lot of their offense with defensive steals and they're very good around the ball," Karl said at the shootaround. "We have to protect the ball. If we don't, they'll be in the game and they'll have a chance to beat us. If we have a low turnover game, I think they'll have trouble beating us."

Well, after missing three games, Lawson tallied just four assists in Denver's 100-97 overtime loss, while committing five turnovers."