Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony missed his third straight game on Tuesday night with a bruised right knee.

Denver will face off against Cleveland and LeBron James on Friday, but Anthony isn't sure if he'll be ready to play.

"It's more motivation to get back, but regardless of how much I want to play in that game, or how big of a game that is for our team, I won't risk myself," Anthony said Tuesday.

"I've been hurt since last Monday and haven't had any practice time, so I would never go out there and try to play without practice. I'll practice the next couple days and see how it goes. Some days feel better than others."

Anthony is averaging 30.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season.