Elton Brand will not play against the Nuggets on Thursday due to a sore right calf. He played in just 14.5 minutes per game over his previous two and was losing ground to Chris Kaman and Brandan Wright. The Nuggets lead the league in scoring in the paint, so Rick Carlisle might be calling on Wright to play a little more. Kaman also played 20 minutes on Wednesday and could be a factor, as well. Brand can remain on almost all waiver wires.