After a successful week on the road, the defending NBA champions treated Ball Arena to a quintessential Denver Nuggets game.
Michael Porter Jr. continued his hot streak with 31 points on 13-of-16 shooting, and Nikola Jokic amassed 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in a 113-100 win over the New York Knicks on Thursday night.
Jamal Murray added 23 points before going to the locker room early with an apparent leg injury in the last minute of regulation, as Denver (49-21) was pulling away for its 13th win in 15 games since the All-Star break.
“Just turned his ankle a little bit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, not seeming too concerned despite the prolonged amount of time Murray took to get up after an awkward landing.
The Nuggets and Thunder are tied atop the Western Conference standings, though Oklahoma City possesses the edge in win percentage as well as the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Porter is averaging 21 points per game since the break.
When they visited Madison Square Garden at the end of a five-game January road trip, the Nuggets sleep-walked through their worst assist-to-turnover game (20 to 19) of the season. New York’s formidable defense stood tall, with OG Anunoby snatching six steals.
“When you get your (butt) kicked,” Malone said pregame Thursday, “they have our full attention.”
Except this time, the Knicks were wrapping up a four-game Western Conference trip, and Anunoby (among other key players) was out with an injury.
Denver’s extraordinary starting five feasted. Jokic was one rebound shy of his 22nd triple-double of the season by halftime. Porter had a 6-for-6 shooting half, reminiscent of his recent perfect game in Los Angeles. Murray combined unlikely off-hand finishing with adventurous play-making. Aaron Gordon spun around defenders for a transition dunk. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope minimized Jalen Brunson as much as possible, keeping his 26 points to 23 shot attempts.
“I just really, sincerely hope that the national media and everybody else following this great league really takes into account the great job he does every night,” Malone said. “We see it. I see it every day. … But he is an incredible defensive player You don’t stop a guy like Jalen Brunson. He had two 40-point games on this road trip. But I thought he made him work for everything tonight.”
In a particularly breathtaking third-quarter sequence, Gordon initiated a set from the left wing by passing to Jokic, who was stepping up toward the top of the key. He thrives when he can operate from the middle of the floor with his back to the basket. From the right wing, Porter motioned to his right to push his defender (Donte DiVincenzo) back a step, to the same level as Jokic — basically creating a screen for himself. Porter slid back to the left, received a dribble handoff as DiVincenzo went underneath Jokic, and shot-faked as DiVincenzo left his feet to contest. Gordon’s man, Josh Hart, was stuck in no man’s land as Gordon slipped to the basket. Porter passed to him, and Gordon kicked to Caldwell-Pope in the corner as Brunson collapsed. Two extra passes, three points.
Less than a minute later, Jokic swung a cross-court pass over his back to Porter in the same corner for another three. There were so many highlights that Porter’s self-alley-oop off the glass was almost an afterthought.
But Denver’s second unit execution struggled to keep up with the starters. The Knicks started the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run that got them within 90-88 as Malone brought Jokic and company back in with 8:19 to go.
He had one highlight to rule them all still saved in the tank. With 5:13 left and the lead still somewhat precarious at 98-92, he lofted a short baseline fade-away shot from behind the basket, over the top of the backboard (or perhaps grazing the top) and in. He was fouled, too.
“Whether it’s from half court against Golden State or behind the backboard tonight, he has an uncanny ability to make tough shots,” Malone said. “Again, I just caution everybody not to take him for granted. Not that anybody does. But another triple-double. … He’s an MVP candidate every year for a reason.”
Services that are still up and running include driver’s license knowledge tests, endorsement tests, commercial driver’s license instruction permit tests, scheduling hearings and requesting motor vehicle records.
DMV employees are reaching out to people with an appointment to reschedule or offer other services, according to the news release.
There is no timeline for when services will be restored.
Denver’s motor vehicle offices are already dealing with rotating week-long closures and other service cuts, which were announced in a round of February budget cuts meant to offset the cost of sheltering thousands of migrants in the city.
The Office of the Colorado State Public Defender has acknowledged personal data may have been stolen during a ransomware attack that crippled the statewide agency in early February — but won’t say much else about the ongoing effort to restore its systems after the hack.
Files “were copied without permission” during the cyberattack, which was discovered on Feb. 9, and those files may have included names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, medical information and health insurance information, the agency said in a statement Friday.
Officials from the public defender’s office are still investigating whose personal data may have been stolen, and whether the personal data of attorneys or their clients was compromised, they said. A statement on the agency’s website urges “individuals” to remain vigilant against identity theft and fraud.
It’s been more than a month since public defenders across the state were locked out of their computers and files in the ransomware attack and hundreds of court hearings were delayed over the next week because public defenders couldn’t do their jobs.
Officials this week refused to answer questions from The Denver Post about what particular parts of the agency’s systems remain inoperable. In a ransomware attack, hackers use malware to hold an organization’s data hostage then demand a payment in cryptocurrency in order for organizations to regain access to that data.
The public defender’s office also would not disclose the amount of ransom demanded or whether a ransom was paid. A statement on the agency’s website says the office has “made progress in returning to full operations.”
Heavily redacted emails and text messages released to The Post by the Governor’s Office of Information Technology this week in response to an open records request mention the cyberattack recovery law firm Mullen Coughlin. Chief Deputy Public Defender Zak Brown would not confirm whether the public defender’s office is working with the firm.
“We have provided all the information we are able to at this time,” he said in an email.
A message left with the Pennsylvania-based law firm was not returned Wednesday.
The Governor’s Office of Information Technology redacted more than half of the text messages exchanged between members of its office and Colorado Public Defender Megan Ring between Feb. 9 and 23 on the grounds the messages were exempt from the state’s open records law. The office cited exemptions around attorney-client privilege, deliberative process, security arrangements and law enforcement investigations.
“OIT withholds these documents on the grounds that their release would result in substantial injury to the public because it would limit OIT’s ability to engage in honest and frank discussion of cybersecurity issues and provide uninhibited opinions to state agencies, thereby impeding OIT in the performance of its duties,” Chief Information Security Officer Jill Fraser wrote in an affidavit provided with the open records materials.
Police responded to the UCCS campus just before 6 a.m. on Feb. 16 when Jordan and Knopp’s other roommate called 911 after being awoken by gunshots, according to an arrest affidavit.
Police found the bodies of Knopp and Montgomery, who was not a student at the university, with multiple gunshot wounds in Knopp’s room and Jordan’s room was emptied of his belongings.
Jordan had previously threatened to kill Knopp over a dispute about trash in the dorm pod. He filed a request to withdraw from UCCS classes and housing the day before the shooting, according to an arrest affidavit.
Jordan’s attorney filed a motion for a competency evaluation on Friday and Judge David Shakes ordered the evaluation during a hearing Monday, according to online court records and the El Paso County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors did not argue against the evaluation, said spokesperson Kate Singh.
Shakes also ordered a mental health stay in the case. Jordan is set to appear for a review hearing on April 12, according to court records.
The man and woman were killed Saturday night at the former DoubleTree hotel, 4040 N. Quebec St., which the city has leased since November for use as a transitional housing shelter for up to 300 people. Police have not said how the couple were killed.
“The case is still under investigation. No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers (720-913-7867),” Denver Police officials said in an emailed response. Police announced the killing at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on X.
Denver officials did not respond to queries about the safety at city shelters.
The former hotel is located in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood. It is owned by Rocky Mountain Communities, a nonprofit that provides apartments around the state for low-income residents.
One person was killed Sunday morning in a crash involving a motorcycle in northeast Denver.
The crash involved a vehicle and a motorcycle and happened in the 5100 block of North Quebec Street, the Denver Police Department reported on X just before 12:30 p.m.
#TRAFFIC: #DPD is investigating a traffic crash resulting in a fatality. The crash is involving a motorcyclist and a motorist in the 5100 block N. Quebec St. Expect delays in the area. #Denver. pic.twitter.com/nS4RsBggPM
On Saturday morning, March 16, 2024, thousands of parade goers flocked to lower downtown Denver to enjoy the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade which had over 120 floats and entries that featured dancers, marching bands, dignitaries, police and fire departments, clowns, car clubs and many other organizations.
The driver involved in last week’s fatal crash that killed a Highlands Ranch teenager on his way to middle school has been arrested, the sheriff’s office announced Wednesday.
The driver — 52-year-old Ruben Amaro-Morones — was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of careless driving causing death, careless driving causing serious bodily injury and failing to obey a traffic signal, according to a Wednesday news release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Amaro-Morones was traveling eastbound on Highlands Ranch Parkway in the far right lane as he approached the intersection and had a red light, the release stated.
When Amaro-Morones ran the light in his van, he collided with Mackiewicz and threw the boy from his electric skateboard before coming to a stop on the opposite side of the intersection, according to Wednesday’s release.
According to the release, Amaro-Morones was arrested Wednesday and transported to the Douglas County Detention Facility.
Investigators do not believe that speeding was a factor in the crash, the sheriff’s office stated in the release.
“This was a tragedy that has impacted not only Alex’s family but the entire Highlands Ranch community,” Sheriff Darren Weekly stated in the release. “As the sheriff, I take traffic safety very seriously, and we will continue to work hard to make our roadways safer through public education and traffic enforcement.”
MIAMI — The backcourt that shepherded Denver to consecutive road wins in Miami during last year’s NBA Finals was waiting to check back into the game, waiting to send Heat fans marching toward the exits once again. Clutch time is when the Nuggets’ starters thrive.
But these two starters decided they’d rather let the backup backcourt do the honors.
After a barrage of Reggie Jackson jumpers, Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went to coach Michael Malone and told him to keep Jackson and Christian Braun in the game. Malone obliged, and the Nuggets kept pulling away for a 100-88 win that they hope will be important for reasons that transcend their temporary, solitary claim to first place in the West.
Jackson needed a new dose of confidence.
“I’ve been in a crazy slump,” he said.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Braun scored seven critical points during Nikola Jokic’s rest minutes to protect a slim lead. Then Jackson took over, scoring from 17, 15 and 26 feet on three consecutive possessions in a span of 1:12 to double Denver’s lead and force an Erik Spoelstra timeout.
“I had Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at the scorer’s table during that stretch. And this speaks a lot about our group,” Malone said. “Both those guys said to me, ‘Coach, let Reggie ride. Let CB ride. This group is playing well.’ And part of our culture — because we do have a culture in Denver as well — part of our culture is being selfless. Getting over yourself. And I think that’s another example of how our team is always getting over the individual, thinking about the collective. Really happy for Reggie Jackson.”
Malone was not-so-subtly throwing shade at Miami’s “Heat Culture” mantra in his postgame comments, but his proud advocacy for Nuggets Culture was validated by the team’s reaction to Jackson’s heat check.
“You could see it transpire on the court. That was the cool part,” Jackson told The Denver Post. “I’ve been playing long enough. You see a lot of things the older you get. You witness it. I knew my minutes were kind of up. I knew Jamal was supposed to come on the court. … And then I see Jamal motioning to Coach, like, ‘Keep him in. Let him play.’ I saw Pope doing the same thing for C.B. So that was a really cool moment for C.B. and myself.”
For Jackson in particular, the vote of confidence was revitalizing. In the first 30 games of the season, he averaged 13.2 points on 48.6% shooting, including 38.1% from 3-point range. He led the Nuggets to a handful of wins in November when Murray was out with a strained hamstring. In the next 35 games entering this matchup, Jackson shot 38.7% from the floor and 30.9% from outside, averaging only 7.4 points and scoring in double figures only 10 times.
After the win in Miami, he has still gone a season-long 10 consecutive games without touching double digits, but seven of his nine points Wednesday were scored during the game-clinching burst.
He says his teammates have been urging him to take those shots despite the drop in efficiency.
“They want me to continue to be myself. Continue to be aggressive. They’ve been kind of upset at me for not playing my game the last few,” Jackson said. “So then I started playing aggressive. Even still in the midst of missing shots. I think I had a 1-for-9 night. I had like a 1-for-7. But just hearing the encouragement from my teammates … once you have a great group like that — front office, coaches, teammates — believing in you like that, you can’t do anything but start believing in yourself again. So like I said: Hit a slump. Had some dark days. Tough days. But having that encouragement has made it easier to come out here and keep attacking, keep pushing ahead and just live with the results.”
Jackson’s defining quality is his one-on-one scoring capability. There have been flashes in recent games when he puts the moves on an opposing guard but simply misses the shot he generates.
“That’s the annoying part,” he said. “I think the reassuring part is that I can still get to a spot and get to a shot. So that’s always the best part. I think once I’m not able to get to a shot, that would be a little worrisome. That’s probably when you’ve gotta hang it up. … Just knowing I can still get there. And now it’s on me to go ahead and continue to get in the gym and find a way to complete the play. So that’s really what I’ve been trying to focus on. Footwork. Having my confidence down, and just continuing to trust in the reps, trust in the work.”
Jackson’s rotations have changed recently. He’s not sharing the floor with Murray much anymore, after a stretch of games in which Malone tried a variation of the second unit that deployed both point guards at the same time. Instead, Justin Holiday is filling the extra backcourt spot in that lineup; Jackson is subbing back in with Jokic to give Murray a brief rest. That’s why Jackson was on the floor as a competitive NBA Finals rematch entered the last five minutes.
He went around a Jokic ball screen and pulled up at the right elbow for his first jumper when Bam Adebayo played drop coverage. On the next possession, he went around a Jokic screen to the left. Adebayo kept dropping again, so Jackson pulled up at the opposite elbow and knocked down the shot.
Jimmy Butler picked him up the next time down the floor instead of Terry Rozier. Jokic screened to Jackson’s left, and the Heat continued to disrespect Jackson’s range. Butler went under the screen while Adebayo dropped. Jackson didn’t bring it inside the arc this time. Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr. and the rest of the Nuggets mobbed the 33-year-old as he jogged to the bench.
“This team is mad at you if you don’t shoot,” Aaron Gordon said. “And that’s different than a lot of teams. If you don’t shoot your shots, if you’re not playing your game, that’s when we get frustrated. So we just want him to be who he is. He’s an ice-cold ballplayer that can score the ball at three different levels.”
Crews are fighting the fire from the outside and working their way in due to the complicated nature of the structure and current wind conditions, the agency said in a 2:20 p.m. update.
James Lee Sanchez was arrested Thursday on suspicion of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in the shooting death of 39-year-old Desiree Terrazas on March 2.
For the second time in as many games, Tommy Wight put on his green cape and played hero.
The senior forward’s buzzer-beating put-back propelled ThunderRidge into the Class 6A championship, the Grizzlies’ third appearance in the title game in four years after capturing the Class 5A crowns in 2021 and ’22.
It was the difference in a dramatic 64-62 win over Eaglecrest and marked Wight’s second game-winner at the Denver Coliseum after his lay-up with five seconds left helped ThunderRidge beat rival Rock Canyon in last week’s Great 8.
“This is even a little bit better feeling (than the Great 8 game-winner),” said Wight, a Point Loma commit. “It was the same plan as against Rock Canyon. High ball screen, let Andrew (Crawford) do his thing. He’s the best in the state at getting downhill, and I was right there in the right moment.”
Wight’s score came off Crawford’s miss on a contested lay-up, and after Eaglecrest star junior point guard LaDavian King sank three free throws on the other end to tie the game with 9.9 seconds left.
King’s clutch free throws capped his 31-point night, but that wasn’t quite enough to topple ThunderRidge, which had four scorers in double figures. Crawford paced the Grizzlies with 22 points, while Wight had 14, senior guard Charlie Spann had 14 and senior guard Ryan Doyle chipped in 10.
The quartet helped ThunderRidge avenge last season’s first-round playoff loss at home to Eaglecrest, a 75-56 setback that remains the Grizzlies’ lone playoff defeat over the last four seasons. ThunderRidge won on Friday despite going down 11 points in the first quarter, which was punctuated by a 12-0 Eaglecrest run.
“Just like the Rock Canyon game, we have great resolve, and we know what it means to come back and fight,” said Crawford, the team’s senior leader at point guard and a CU commit. “We made the plays when it was most important.
“LaDavian had four threes in the first half, and the game plan at half was to step up on him. He’s most of their production, along with (junior center Garrett) Barger. They were offensive rebounding over us, so we had to rebound and get stops on LaDavian in the second half, and we did that just enough.”
Eaglecrest Raptors Ladavian King (1), right, passes against ThunderRidge Grizzlies Ryan Doyle (1) in the first quarter of the 6A boys Colorado state high school Final Four game at the Denver Coliseum in Denver on Friday, March 08, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Barger finished with a double-double, with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and had a handful of impressive put-backs in the fourth quarter to help the Raptors rally after ThunderRidge went on a third-quarter scoring spree to take command. That spree came after the Grizzlies decided in the locker room to stop running set plays.
“All those buckets we took the lead on, there was no sets,” ThunderRidge head coach Joe Ortiz said. “There was structure, but it was our guys just playing.”
The Grizzlies dominated in the paint to take control in the second half and ultimately finish, outscoring the Raptors there 44-18. ThunderRidge was up 12 points late in the third quarter, but King and Barger wouldn’t let Eaglecrest go quietly. King poured in seven 3s total while shooting way beyond the arc.
“We had a couple mishaps down the stretch — missed an easy shot we should’ve made, then we had a sloppy turnover on the sideline that really hurt us, and they made shots,” Ortiz said. “Garrett made some phenomenal put-backs, and then LD can hit from 25 (feet out). He’s just something special.”
For Eaglecrest, the heartbreaking loss comes with a silver lining, as the Raptors graduate just one senior and figure to be an immediate contender again next season. Their deep run in the state tournament was unexpected to many, even head coach Jarris Krapcha.
Eaglecrest Raptors Ladavian King (1) is dejected after the ThunderRidge Grizzlies won the 6A boys Colorado state high school Final Four game 64-62 at the Denver Coliseum in Denver on Friday, March 08, 2024. Eaglecrest Raptors Kris Coleman (11) can only watch and walk past the celebration. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
“There was a pretty big stretch in our year where I didn’t think there was any chance we’d be in this spot,” Krapcha said. “We had problems on and off the court, injuries, etc. We came together at the right time and we were in a position to win a Final Four game. I’m proud of them, because we’ve got a lot of guys back next year, and we can come back here (to the Coliseum).”
ThunderRidge’s composure in the game’s tensest moments shows this year’s Grizzlies’ DNA is like the title teams in ’21 and ’22, albeit with a different cast minus Crawford, who is set to play in his third title game.
“Two years ago in the state finals, we were down 12-0 to start the game,” Ortiz recalled. “Then we were down eight at half, and Fossil Ridge thought they had it, and we came out and scored 12 straight (to open the third). And we had 11 or 12 straight stops. So the resolve is phenomenal, and it’s similar this year to those title teams.”
Saturday will mark ThunderRidge’s ninth appearance in the title game under Ortiz, who is 4-4 in those bouts. With a win, the longtime Grizzlies’ boss — who earned his 500th career win earlier this season — can move into a tie with Greeley Central’s Jim Baggott for fifth all-time for the most championships at one school.
“It’s just about one,” Ortiz emphasized. “This one.”
ThunderRidge takes on Valor Christian at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Grizzlies beat the Eagles earlier in the season, 62-55 at Valor Christian on Dec. 9. It was one of two losses for the Eagles, who avenged the other defeat with a 67-56 win over Smoky Hill in Friday’s second Class 6A Final Four game.
ThunderRidge Grizzlies Andrew Crawford (42) gets fouled by Eaglecrest Raptors Kris Coleman (11) in the second half quarter of the 6A boys Colorado state high school Final Four game at the Denver Coliseum in Denver on Friday, March 08, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
The Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics will play a pair of 2024-25 preseason games in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, the NBA announced Wednesday morning.
Part of an ongoing collaboration between the NBA and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, the games will take place Friday Oct. 4 and Sunday Oct. 6. The venue and ticket information will not be shared until a later date, according to a news release.
“There is incredible momentum around basketball in the UAE and across the Middle East,” NBA deputy commissioner and COO Mark Tatum said in a statement, “and we believe these games as well as our year-round grassroots development and fan engagement efforts will be a catalyst for the continued growth of the game in the region.”
The Nuggets (42-20) and Celtics (48-13) will face off Thursday (8 p.m. MT, TNT) at Ball Arena in their last meeting of the 2023-24 regular season. Boston holds the best record in the league, while Denver is the defending NBA champion.
Multiple Nuggets players might be featured abroad this summer at the 2024 Olympics as well. Jamal Murray has hopes to play for the Canadian national team if he is physically able. Nikola Jokic has not verbally committed to Serbia’s Olympic team, but he’ll have an automatic roster spot if he wishes to join the team in France. And Vlatko Cancar is hoping to have recovered from his ACL injury by late July so he can play for Slovenia. Aaron Gordon was also included on a list of finalists to make the U.S. team, though roster spots are tight considering the high interest level from an aging generation of American superstars.
“The Denver Nuggets organization couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to visit and play NBA games in Abu Dhabi this coming preseason,” Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke said in a statement. “We look forward to this unique experience and being able to help expand the global reach of our great league.”
Led by a freshman goalie who stood on his head, Regis Jesuit won its seventh hockey title on Tuesday at Magness Arena by outlasting fellow powerhouse Valor Christian in a 3-1 thriller.
The Raiders used a brick wall performance by goalie Easton Sparks to claim the championship, in conjunction with a second-period goal by senior Reece Peterson and then two empty-net lamp-lighters in the final minute to dethrone the defending champion Eagles.
Sparks stymied the Eagles with 23 saves, including three on one-on-one breakaways and another on a stuffed penalty shot in the opening period. The freshman was sensational in all aspects, and his play was the clear difference in the game.
“He stood on his head all season,” Reece Peterson said. “Freshman, coming into the biggest game of his life, and he played amazing. He played like a legend.”
Fans cheer for Regis Jesuit’s goaltender Easton Sparks (33) after he makes a save during a shoot out against Valor Christian’s Maddux Charles (23) during the Class 5A Colorado state championship game at Magness Arena in Denver on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Valor Christian High School played Regis Jesuit High School for the state title. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)
Counting Tuesday, either Valor Christian or Regis Jesuit has appeared in the last nine Class 5A/unclassified state title games and combined to win seven of them. The two hockey behemoths met twice earlier this season, with Valor Christian winning 4-1 on Jan. 19 and Regis Jesuit retaliating with a 3-1 victory on Feb. 3.
In the championship rubber-match, the teams played to a first-period 0-0 draw as Sparks and Valor Christian senior goalie Trudeaux Coffey both turned away a number of promising chances.
Sparks’ denial on sophomore Maddux Charles’ penalty shot was an early omen of the goalie’s game-changing performance. After stopping the puck, Sparks got up, skated over to the raucous Regis Jesuit student section, threw his hands in the air and roared.
“I knew that was a big moment in the game, because I knew it was going to be a close game,” Sparks said. “I don’t even know what I was thinking as (Charles approached) — my mind just went blank. It was sort of like that all game. They had a couple more breakaways in the second, and I kept stopping them.”
Peterson got Regis Jesuit on the board with a wrister through Coffey’s five-hole on a breakaway a little over a minute into the second period. Then, about 45 seconds later, Peterson found the five hole again, and it appeared the Raiders had taken a commanding 2-0 lead.
But the referee near the goal indicated it wasn’t a score, and play went on. Video replays showed the shot went into the goal, then careened off the bottom of the inside of the net and back out.
Regis Jesuit’s Andrew Brennick (15) pushes Valor Christian’s Eddie Chen (4) to move the puck stuck at their skates during the Class 5A Colorado state championship game at Magness Arena in Denver on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Valor Christian High School played Regis Jesuit High School for the state title. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)
Peterson said another referee later told him it was a goal, and the Raiders were determined to not let the botched call quash their momentum.
“We focused on the fact that we were getting the chances,” Regis Jesuit head coach Terence Ott said. “It would’ve been nice to (officially) bury that one, and we had a couple other odd-man rushes in that period where we elected not to pass the puck and we tried to make a move with it. But we built on the positive of that moment and that we were creating momentum.”
In a tense 1-0 game in the third, Sparks continued to come up clutch, and the Eagles pinged a shot off the crossbar just as they had done in the second period.
“(Sparks) plays with such calm, it really resonates with the team,” Ott said. “He doesn’t get rattled back there. And he’s athletic. He’s not blessed with the size, but what a super performance, and he kept it going (in the third).”
Valor Christian pulled Coffey with 1:20 to play, and the last minute was firework-filled.
Raiders junior Parker Brinner scored on the empty net with 57 seconds left, but Valor Christian finally broke the shutout with 19 seconds to play on senior Brock Benson’s top-shelf shot to cut the score to 2-1. But Regis Jesuit held on in the final seconds, and Ian Beck’s breakaway slap-shot on the empty net with with one second left was the exclamation on the Raiders’ revenge.
“Last year, we played Valor four times and lost every single game (including the semifinals) by one goal,” Peterson said. “So winning tonight, this is the perfect cap to my high school career. They gave us a great game, but I’m so happy this win came against them.”
Ott, in his second year as the Raiders’ head coach after serving the previous 17 seasons as an assistant, said his team — led by seven seniors — “did a great job of re-establishing the hockey culture that we want to have at Regis Jesuit.” The Raiders’ last title came in 2019, when they went back-to-back after beating Valor Christian in the championship the year prior.
“You win six championships, you’ve gone to 14 straight Frozen Fours (before a loss to Fort Collins in the 2022 quarterfinals) — you kind of start resting on the laurels of the men who came before you,” Ott said. “And we got away from being a team and doing the work you need to do to be a champion. This group got us back to where we needed to be.”
Regis Jesuit and Valor Christian players battle in front of the net to gain possession of the puck during the Class 5A Colorado state championship game at Magness Arena in Denver on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Valor Christian High School played Regis Jesuit High School for the state title. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)
Homeowners associations’ foreclosure filings on thousands of Coloradans’ houses over unpaid fines and fees have spurred fresh attempts by lawmakers to better regulate HOAs and metropolitan districts with the hope of preventing more people from losing their homes.
Lawmakers have introduced several reform bills that would restrict foreclosures from delinquent fees and require HOAs and metro districts to adopt written policies, enhance notifications to homeowners and add licensing requirements for professional managers. The legislation would also set regulations on how much homeowners can be charged. HOAs would be required to work with homeowners before beginning any foreclosure proceedings.
“As more Coloradans find themselves living in HOAs and metro districts, it is more important than ever that homeowners be protected from losing the largest asset they will ever invest in through unnecessary foreclosure,” said Rep. Iman Jodeh, an Aurora Democrat who is sponsoring two bills.
Homeowners associations in Colorado legally have the power to place liens on residents’ homes that supersede even those of the banks that hold their mortgages. An HOA can then sell a property to collect the money a resident owes — and the owner still would be left with mortgage debt and none of the equity they had built.
About half of Colorado residents live in communities overseen by an HOA.
The associations’ power drew more scrutiny in 2022 following media reports, including by The Denver Post, about the Master Homeowners Association for Green Valley Ranch in far-northeast Denver. That HOA filed nearly half of all HOA foreclosures in Denver the prior year.
Neighborhood residents who are Black, Asian or Latino said they sometimes weren’t notified of the fines or would continue to accrue new fees and interest even after resolving the violations. In some cases, residents didn’t even know their homes had been placed in foreclosure proceedings until someone showed up at their door and said they now owned the home.
The legislature passed a law in 2022 to protect homeowners from accumulating HOA fines and fees that they may not be aware of by requiring HOAs to provide written notice to residents, in their preferred language, about any violations. It also capped the fees HOAs could assess.
“We want to make sure people stay housed in Colorado”
But lawmakers say there is much more to be done for communities across metro Denver to limit HOA-driven foreclosures and protect homeowners from predatory or mismanaged companies.
“We’re fighting for homeowners,” said Rep. Naquetta Ricks, an Aurora Democrat, adding that this was especially important amid the state’s ongoing housing crisis. “We want to make sure people stay housed in Colorado.”
A statewide committee, the HOA Homeowners’ Rights Task Force, was charged with studying issues related to metro districts and HOAs, and its members recommended multiple areas of focus for the 2024 session. Lawmakers have incorporated at least two recommendations into new bills — creating an alternative dispute resolution process and addressing licensure of community association managers.
The task force is expected to release a final report by April 15.
The new bills introduced so far during the 2024 session include:
HB24-1267, which would require metro districts that conduct covenant enforcement like HOAs to adopt written policies on fines and fees and on governing disputes. It also would prevent the metro district from foreclosing on any lien because of delinquent fees.
HB24-1158, which would require changes to HOA notifications to owners on delinquent accounts and before lien foreclosures, and it would establish a minimum bid.
HB24-1337, which would limit a homeowner’s reimbursement of collection costs and attorney fees to 50% and prohibit an HOA from foreclosing on a lien until it has tried to serve an owner with a civil action within 180 days or obtained a personal judgement in a civil action. It also would prohibit the purchaser of a home in foreclosure from selling for 180 days, with the former owner having first priority of buying the home again.
HB24-1078, which would reestablish license requirements for HOA community association managers (a program that expired in July 2018).
So far, just two bills have been considered by committees. HB-1267 passed 10-0 in a House committee Wednesday, and no one spoke in opposition to the bill. Jodeh said she worked with metro districts when crafting the legislation.
HB-1078, the licensure bill, passed 8-3 in a House committee Feb. 14, eliciting support from homeowners who had faced HOA foreclosures and opposition from community management associations.
Vicki Souder, left, and Linda Wilson protest against foreclosures in front of the Master Homeowners Association for Green Valley Ranch offices on Friday, April 1, 2022. The HOA filed 50 foreclosures in 2021, nearly half the total of all HOA-initiated foreclosures in Denver that year. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
Arvada Democratic Rep. Brianna Titone, a former HOA president, is one of the sponsors of the bill. The legislature passed a similar bill in 2019, but Gov. Jared Polis vetoed it. At the time, Polis’ office said he was concerned about costs to get licensed that would then be passed to consumers, even though a 2017 report from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies recommended an extension, and a 2021 report also recommended regulation.
Titone said the new licensing bill would “make sure that people are educated about the law and make sure that no felons are getting involved in having full access to communities’ money.”
The bill would also ensure managers know how to do their jobs, Titone added, so that they don’t have to hire attorneys to help, costing residents even more money. And it would require companies to disclose relationships that include identifying whom they’re providing kickbacks to, she said.
The requirements would apply only to professional management companies, not employees directly hired by HOA boards.
“I’ve come here with licensing in 2019. I’ve come with licensing in 2022. And I’ve come with licensing today,” Titone said at the committee hearing, and “nobody has ever suggested an alternative. … They just say no. … You should ask yourself why they don’t want this. It’s because because they’re making a lot of money off of the backs of the people they work for and they’re hired by.”
Licensing bill draws opposition
Despite the bill’s similarity to the 2022 bill Titone worked on with Colorado’s Division of Real Estate, Deputy Director Eric Turner testified against the bill at the hearing, calling it “well-intentioned.” He said it “does not address the various issues about living in an HOA, imposes barriers to entry into the profession and increases costs for homeowners.”
John Kreger, who testified for Associa, the largest community management association in the country, jokingly said that “after the unflattering characterizations of our industry today, I feel compelled to assure the committee that on behalf of Associa and the hundreds of Coloradans we employ, we are not crooks or idiots.”
Kreger and other community association managers argued the bill would not be effective at protecting consumers but instead would just raise costs. Kreger said there wasn’t enough data to show a widespread problem, and any theft of funds or misuse should be handled within the criminal justice system.
Homeowners and nonprofit foreclosure attorneys have attended committee hearings to describe horror stories about themselves or their clients losing their homes over fines and fees from HOAs and metro districts, even if they’d never missed a mortgage payment.
Monica Villela, who lived in a Green Valley Ranch home with her family for 19 years, choked back tears at Wednesday’s hearing. She told lawmakers that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became difficult to keep up with maintenance and HOA fees that ballooned.
Her family had never missed a mortgage payment and had never even refinanced their home, she said, but they didn’t have the money to pay the $8,000 in fees they owed or for an attorney to fight them.
They lost their home, just as her son would have started college.
“We no longer have that option,” she said. “Our family has honestly been deeply affected. It really hurts seeing my kids being depressed by this horrible situation. We have been hurt.”
She urged lawmakers to pass reforms “to keep families in their homes all across Colorado so we can keep our most holy possession: our homes.”
While a majority of the HOA and metro district legislation introduced at the Colorado statehouse this year centers around protecting homeowners, at least two bills aim to make processes easier on HOAs: HB24-1233 would reduce some of the requirements placed on HOAs when collecting delinquent payments, while HB24-1091 would allow HOAs to set standards for (though not prohibit) the use of fire-hardened building materials for fencing.
Polis’ office declined to comment on the specifics of pending HOA bills or to discuss the HOA task force’s recommendations. Spokesperson Shelby Weiman issued a statement that said his office would monitor the bills’ progress, adding that Polis commends lawmakers’ efforts to provide more flexibility for homeowners.
“Governor Polis believes that burdensome HOA policies shouldn’t be so restrictive that they reduce fire safety, drain individuals and families of their finances, or force people from a home they love over something like untrimmed grass,” she wrote.
LOS ANGELES — The clutch-time Nuggets spoiled another landmark night for the Lakers.
On the night LeBron James became the first player to ever score 40,000 career points, Denver came back from an 11-point deficit for a 124-114 win, the team’s sixth consecutive since the All-Star break, on Saturday night.
Nikola Jokic went for 35 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Porter Jr. added an immaculate 25 without missing a single shot. He was 10 for 10 in the game, including 5 for 5 from beyond the arc.
The Nuggets (42-19) have won eight consecutive games over the Lakers.
They entered the fourth quarter of this one tied at 89 and needing a key stretch from the second unit. It mostly delivered, until the very end of Jokic’s rest minutes. Peyton Watson supplied four points and an emphatic block as the Nuggets took a five-point lead, but James nullified the block by absorbing contact with Zeke Nnaji for an and-one. He missed the free throw that would’ve tied the game, but a Denver turnover seconds later led to a go-ahead James three. Timeout Michael Malone, down two.
Enter Jokic. Cue clutch finish for Nuggets starters.
They trailed 108-105 as clutch time officially began in the last five minutes. Justin Holiday sank a 3-pointer while playing for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, out for personal reasons. Aaron Gordon finally cashed in on an open corner three for the lead. Then Jokic and Jamal Murray took over again. The game ended on a 19-6 run.
Public and media anticipation surrounding the final meeting of the regular season between these teams wasn’t particularly concerned with the matchup or its implications. Denver was going into a building sold out by box score watchers experiencing LeBron Fever. He entered the game an inevitable nine points away from the never-achieved milestone, and for the first quarter and change, that was the primary focus every time he had the ball. Malone was effusive in his praise of James while fielding a handful of questions about him pregame, but in terms of the moment itself, the ninth-year Nuggets coach was definitive.
“I’m just worried about us,” he said. “I don’t get into all the other stuff. We’ve won five in a row.”
He had plenty to be worried about in the first timeout huddle after James reached 40,000 by driving past Porter for a layup. The Nuggets had turned it over six times in 15 minutes, and their defense wasn’t rising to match the Lakers’ level of intensity. Los Angeles had 15 assists before its second turnover. All five starters had nine or more points at halftime, while Denver wasn’t getting efficient production from Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon.
Murray, a last-second decision to play after spraining his right ankle Thursday, looked like he was close to finding a rhythm late in the second quarter. His uptick in scoring and play-making after halftime was critical to Denver’s ability to quickly erase a double-digit deficit. He finished with a 24-point, 11-assist double-double.
A person was shot by Denver police after allegedly stabbing a clerk at a 7-Eleven near West Fifth Avenue and North Federal Boulevard on Friday night.
Officers responded to reports of a 7-Eleven store clerk who had been stabbed and found a suspect near West Fifth Avenue and North Federal Boulevard at approximately 6:49 p.m., police spokesperson Kurt Barnes said Friday.
The suspect was shot by police and taken to a local hospital, Barnes said. It’s not clear if the suspect was armed with a gun.
After winning its first Continental League title and making its first appearance at the Denver Coliseum, Legend girls basketball isn’t done on its march toward ultimate history.
The Titans easily dispatched of Front Range League champion Horizon, 62-35, to open the Great 8 games on Thursday at the Denver Coliseum.
“We knew what we were capable of at the start of our season, but we didn’t know fully what we could do with our talent,” junior guard Maley Wilhelm said. “Now we do.”
Morgan Ives (2) of Horizon Hawks drives as Maley Wilhelm (5) of Legend Titans defends during the first half of a Colorado state high school basketball tournament Great 8 game at the Denver Coliseum on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Legend used a dominant first quarter in which the Hawks didn’t score a field goal to take an early 11-2 lead, weathered a Horizon rally in the second quarter, and then pulled away in the second half. It was the Titans’ second win over Horizon this year after beating them 70-53 in a tournament at the beginning of the season.
Wilhelm’s three fast-break lay-ups on Titans’ steals was a turning point in the third quarter, and Wilhelm finished with a team-high 13 points. By the time junior guard Ava Gavi drained a pair of threes to start the final frame, Legend had the game in the bag, and Horizon never got close again.
“We had the intensity on defense, and we were pretty good on the glass today, but the one big, glaring weakness was not having composure on offense (in the second quarter),” Legend head coach Darren Pitzner said. “We played the second half with much more composure, and much more under control. You can’t come to the Coliseum and force tough shots. That’s Rule No. 1 coming here.”
Head coach Darren Pitzner of Legend Titans works against the Horizon Hawks during the first half of a Colorado state high school basketball tournament Great 8 game at the Denver Coliseum on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Pitzner, in his first year as the Legend coach, is headed to his fifth Final Four. He also made school history at Green Mountain, leading the girls to their first three Final Four appearances there, and was an assistant coach on the 2017 Lakewood girls team that lost in the state championship game to Grandview.
The Titans (24-2) blew the doors off opponents for much of the season with a high-octane approach on offense while also placing a premium on defensive pressure. Their lone setbacks came via forfeit to Lutheran (due to a player eligibility issue) and on the road to No. 1 Cherokee Trail, 52-42 on Jan. 8.
The Cougars haven’t lost to an in-state team all season and appear to be the Class 6A championship favorite, but not if Legend has anything to say about it. The Titans’ win over Regis Jesuit in the Continental League championship on Feb. 16, 68-53, underscored the team’s belief it could make a deep tournament run.
Grace Stanley (3) of Legend Titans drives against the Horizon Hawks during the first half of a Colorado state high school basketball tournament Great 8 game at the Denver Coliseum on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
“The girls knew they could be in the mix, but we also knew we had to prove we could play with the top teams,” Pitzner said. “That’s where the Regis win was really big, because it showed we were in that top group.”
Gavi, the team’s top three-point threat at 39% coming in, started slow on Thursday before draining a pair of decisive threes in the fourth. She finished with 10 points, seven in the fourth, while senior forward Katie Lamb (a Fort Lewis commit) led the team with eight rebounds and five assists. Horizon was paced by 13 points from junior center Kaitlin Schumann.
“At halftime, my teammates came up to me and told me, ‘Don’t stop shooting,’” Gavi said. “‘We’re going to keep finding you.’ That’s what they did, and I finally hit them.”
The Titans, who play either Regis Jesuit or Cherry Creek in next week’s Final Four, aren’t satisfied after Thursday’s big win. Junior forward Mason Borcherding finished with nine points, while junior guard Aislyn Korella had seven in a balanced scoring effort.
“We’re ready to prove ourselves even more,” Borcherding said.
A 14-year-old girl with high-functioning autism was reported missing Wednesday, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Taylor Thomas, who likes to be called “Jax,” was last seen on foot at 4:50 p.m. Wednesday in the area of 3101 S. Kipling St., Lakewood., CBI posted on X.
Taylor is 5 feet tall and weighs 95 pounds. She has dark brown, shoulder-length hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing black, white and gray camo pants, a black hoodie, black-and-white high-top shoes and a black-and-white Nike backpack.
Anyone who sees Taylor is asked to call 911 or the Lakewood Police Department at 303-980-7300.
A 40-year-old Commerce City man was arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed an accomplished wheelchair fencer on Friday, according to the Lakewood Police Department.
Chavez was out on bail after being arrested on suspicion of vehicular eluding in Adams County, according to court records. He posted a $2,500 bail in the case in October.
Chavez previously pleaded guilty in separate cases to charges of driving under restraint, driving without a license, obstructing a peace officer, weapons possession and possession of contraband in a detention facility, according to court records.
The hit-and-run occurred near West 23rd Avenue and Kipling Street at 7:24 p.m. Friday when a Chevy Camaro fatally struck a pedestrian and fled the scene. The pedestrian was later identified as 29-year-old Terre Engdahl, an award-winning parafencer who lived in Lakewood.
Chavez is in custody at the Jefferson County Jail on a $10,000 cash bail and is set to appear in court Tuesday.
Police are still searching for the Camaro, which sustained heavy front-end and windshield damage and is missing the driver’s side headlight. The car’s Colorado license plate, DWB-P87, may have been removed.
Anyone with information can call Lakewood police at 303-983-7300 and ask for Detective Moffat.
