DENVER — Nuggets coach Michael Malone and Hornets coach Steve Clifford face off tonight as Denver hosts Charlotte. The Nuggets and Hornets meet just twice per season but Malone and Clifford are more than familiar with one another. Their relationship goes back decades.

Clifford, 56, coached Malone at Brendan Malone’s (Michael Malone’s father) basketball camp more than 30 years ago.

“He was like a fourth grader when I coached him,” Clifford said. “I was in college and I used to work his Dad’s camp and every week he would put him on my team and it was great for me because one, he was always one of the better players so we would have a chance to win but also his Dad, who’s very much a mentor to me, would come and watch and knew I wanted to coach and would grab me after and would say, ‘Do this. Think about doing this.’

“He was a handful,” Clifford added when speaking to Malone’s fiery reputation as a player. “But when you’re coaching a basketball camp that’s what you want.”

Malone and Clifford reconnected in New York where the two worked under former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. Malone’s first NBA job was with the Knicks and he worked for the organization from 2001-05. Clifford started as a scout with New York in 2000 before joining Malone on Knicks’ bench in 2001.

The two are still close to this day. Malone reached out to Clifford when the Hornets’ coach had to take a leave of absence in December for health reasons. Clifford missed 18 games and Charlotte went 7-11.

“He has a passion for the game. He grew up obviously in a basketball family,” Clifford said about Malone. “He’s also a talented guy who’s very bright, very competitive, a very good communicator with players.”