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Tag: Nuggets

  • Michael Porter Jr. speaks about difficult week after Jontay Porter NBA ban, Coban Porter sentencing

    Michael Porter Jr. speaks about difficult week after Jontay Porter NBA ban, Coban Porter sentencing

    Michael Porter Jr. said he received individual texts from Nuggets teammates checking on him after a difficult week in his personal life. His brother Coban, 22, was sentenced to six years in prison Friday for killing a woman in a drunk driving crash last year. And his brother Jontay, 24, was banned for life from the NBA earlier in the week after being investigated in a sports betting scandal.

    “Each one of them texted me separately and just told me they’ve got my back. If I need anything, they’ve got me,” Porter said Saturday night after a 114-103 Game 1 win at Ball Arena. “Yeah, a lot of people were reaching out. Friends, family. So to have these guys understand why I missed practice yesterday and just have my back has been big for me.”

    Porter’s absence from practice Friday was because he appeared in court that morning for Coban’s sentencing hearing. MPJ addressed the family of the victim, Kathy Limon Rothman, in the courtroom, saying, “I understand your family’s pain and hurt.”

    In his return to basketball Saturday, he registered 19 points and eight rebounds against the Lakers.

    “We’re human, so we carry our emotions and the things that go on off the court onto the court,” Porter said. “But I’m mentally tough. I’ve been through a lot through my whole career, so it was just another one of those things that I had to try to play through.”

    Jontay Porter was on a two-way deal with the Raptors’ organization when he allegedly shared information about his health with an individual he knew to be a sports bettor March 20. After another sports bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay bet that Porter would underperform in Toronto’s game that night, Porter played only three minutes, claiming he felt ill. A league investigation also found Porter placed bets on NBA games, including one wager on the Raptors to lose a game.

    Bennett Durando

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  • Nuggets to rematch Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James in first-round playoff series

    Nuggets to rematch Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James in first-round playoff series

    If the Nuggets really want the title of “Lakers’ Daddy,” they’ll have the chance to earn it with an earlier-than-expected rematch.

    Less than a year after their Western Conference Finals sweep, the Nuggets will face the Lakers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, tipping off Saturday at Ball Arena with Game 1. Denver (57-25) enters the series having won eight consecutive head-to-head matchups against Los Angeles.

    The Lakers (47-35) finished the regular season in eighth place and defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday to earn the matchup. Pelicans star Zion Williamson scored 40 points but mysteriously disappeared to the locker room with an apparent injury after scoring a game-tying floater with 3:19 remaining.

    Bennett Durando

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  • Nuggets might watch Lakers vs. Pelicans together, but “we don’t have a preferred opponent”

    Nuggets might watch Lakers vs. Pelicans together, but “we don’t have a preferred opponent”

    MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The tarp is being removed from the pool for the first time this year at the Jokic household.

    “We have good weather,” Nikola Jokic said Sunday afternoon in Memphis, his mind already back in Denver enough to know the local forecast. “So I’m going to go in my swimming pool. … Probably get some treatment. Relax a little bit.”

    The Nuggets have five nights off before they play again, in Game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs Saturday at Ball Arena. They have two full days before they’ll know their first-round opponent — either the Los Angeles Lakers or New Orleans Pelicans.

    They intend to enjoy the brief moment of stillness while they can. Because they hope to enjoy what happens next even more.

    “I think we all kind of were tired of the regular season,” Michael Porter Jr. said.

    Common side-effect of winning a championship. The first 82 games suddenly don’t feel as important. The playoffs can’t arrive soon enough. Champions become adrenaline junkies, living for the pressure and excitement. After a rollicking win over the Timberwolves last Wednesday, Nuggets players sat in the locker room and fantasized about the crowd noise of a playoff environment, the extra oomph of player introductions. Ball Arena had just given them an early taste of it.

    Maybe that’s why they fell apart two nights later in San Antonio. Second-half blowout. Lottery team. Lethargic crowd. Minds in the future. The Nuggets lost focus, lost a 23-point lead and lost their stranglehold on the No. 1 seed in the West.

    The regular-season finale in Memphis was an opportunity seized to salvage something out of their slip to third place in the standings. Minnesota’s loss to Phoenix handed the No. 2 seed back to Denver (57-25), an extra series with that coveted home-court advantage and a different path through the playoffs. Lemons to lemonade.

    “In the second round, we’ll get another round of home-court, and then the only way we wouldn’t get the Western Conference Finals home-court is if OKC makes it all the way,” Porter said. “Which they very well could. So definitely some benefits to being the second seed.”

    “We’ll see in a couple months how it played out for us,” Reggie Jackson said. “Still a tough loss in San Antonio, just because we completely controlled our own destiny. But we still control our destiny. It’s just about playing our best ball at the right time.”

    First, a few days to breathe. The afternoon game time Sunday allowed the Nuggets to fly home from Memphis immediately after the game and have most of the evening to relax. Monday is also a “black-out day,” with nobody going to the team facility or working.

    “Let everybody stay home, get some rest, be with your families, whatever it is you need to do,” coach Michael Malone said. “And then obviously on Tuesday, maybe have a light player development type of a day. And may get together as a team to watch that game on Tuesday night.”

    That’s the burning question now. Who would the Nuggets rather play in the first round? The seventh-seeded Pelicans, a roster that might end up without an All-NBA selection and a core with minimal playoff experience? Or the eighth-seeded Lakers, a franchise that strikes fear into everybody but a current iteration that has lost eight consecutive games to Denver? It’s a fresh matchup or a grudge match.

    “I think it’s pretty even throughout,” Porter said. “New Orleans presents a lot of challenges. Especially with (Brandon Ingram) being back. But the Lakers are a very good team as well. We may have swept them last year (in the Western Conference), but it was a battle every game. I think they ran every game, and then it came down to the last two or three minutes where we kind of pulled away. So it may have looked like we dominated, but that was a very good matchup last year, so we’re taking everyone serious.”

    Porter, despite Denver’s scoreboard-watching Sunday, wanted to be clear: “We don’t have a preferred opponent.”

    Meanwhile, Malone wasn’t focused on the “who” so much as the “when.”

    “You find out a lot sooner than you did as a 1-seed,” he said. “So that helps.”

    Indeed, the Nuggets will have more time to scout one specific opponent than they did last year as the top seed, which doesn’t find out its adversary until Friday at the conclusion of the Play-In Tournament. The real work starts Wednesday for Denver. Even that rumored gathering for the Lakers-Pelicans game Tuesday night would be more of a social event than a work function.

    “We’ll probably get together and watch it and just try to relax at the same time,” Jackson said. “Try to do a little bit of scouting, but just trying to do a little bit of hanging out. Build some comradery and just relax a little bit.”

    The situation in New Orleans will be intriguing. The Lakers were already there Sunday for Game 82. Their 124-108 rout vaulted them to the No. 8 position and knocked the Pelicans from No. 6 to No. 7 … all for the two teams to play again in the same arena 48 hours later. The Lakers don’t even have to fly home to Los Angeles and back.

    Bennett Durando

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  • Nuggets playoff scenarios, tiebreakers explained: Nobody controls their own destiny for 1-seed in West

    Nuggets playoff scenarios, tiebreakers explained: Nobody controls their own destiny for 1-seed in West

    SAN ANTONIO — Devonte’ Graham broke the NBA tiebreaker system on his way to Cancun and left the Western Conference standings in flames behind him.

    Welcome to the most chaotic last-day setup for a No. 1 seed of all time.

    For the first time in NBA history, there is a three-way tie for first place in a conference after 81 games. The top seed in the West would have been undecided entering Sunday’s slate of games even if the Nuggets (56-25) had protected their 23-point lead against the Spurs. It just would have been more simple: Denver would have controlled its own destiny. Winning in Memphis would clinch No. 1.

    But instead, the Nuggets choked one away against the worst team in the West. As a result? Nobody, yes nobody, controls their own destiny for the No. 1 seed going into the final day of the 2023-24 regular season.

    Confused yet? Here are all the relevant games around the West on Sunday, and all scenarios that could play out for the Nuggets.

    Nuggets’ relevant games Sunday (MT)

    • Nuggets at Grizzlies, 1:30 p.m.
    • Mavericks at Thunder, 1:30 p.m.
    • Suns at Timberwolves, 1:30 p.m.
    • Lakers at Pelicans, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN)
    • Jazz at Warriors, 1:30 p.m.
    • Trail Blazers at Kings, 1:30 p.m.

    NBA 3-way tiebreaker, explained

    If the Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder end in a three-way tie, the final standings will look different than if the Timberwolves and Thunder end in a two-way tie — meaning the Nuggets-Grizzlies game could matter even if it doesn’t matter to the Nuggets.

    First tiebreaker: A division winner earns the tiebreaker over a non-division winner. But all three teams are in the Northwest division, so that doesn’t solve anything.

    Second tiebreaker: Best win percentage in all head-to-head games among tied teams. Minnesota finished 2-2 against Denver and 2-2 against Oklahoma City. And Oklahoma City won the season series over Denver, 3-1. That means Oklahoma City is 5-3 overall, Minnesota is 4-4 and Denver is 3-5. So the Thunder would get the No. 1 seed.

    Then the tiebreaker would reset, and the No. 2 seed between Denver and Minnesota would be decided by the two-way tie procedure.

    NBA 2-way tiebreaker, explained

    First tiebreaker: Head-to-head record. Again, Denver and Minnesota split their four games.

    Second tiebreaker: A division winner earns the tiebreaker over a non-division winner. But in this scenario, Oklahoma City has won the division and the conference already. Onward.

    Third tiebreaker: Win percentage within the division. Minnesota is 12-4 against Northwest Division opponents. Denver is 10-6. Advantage Minnesota. The three-way tie would end with Denver in third.

    However, if Oklahoma City and Minnesota end in a two-way tie, the tiebreaker procedure continues. Not only did they split their four games; they also have identical 12-4 division records.

    Fourth tiebreaker: Win percentage within the conference. Minnesota is two games ahead of Oklahoma City in terms of their win-loss records within the West. So Minnesota would earn the higher seed in this two-way tiebreaker, even though Oklahoma City would earn the higher seed in the three-way tiebreaker.

    If you have a migraine trying to comprehend that, here are the scenarios broken down by the plausible results of Sunday’s games.

    NBA Western Conference No. 1 seed scenarios Sunday

    Nuggets are the No. 1 seed if:

    • Denver wins AND Minnesota loses AND Oklahoma City loses

    Thunder are the No. 1 seed if:

    • Oklahoma City wins AND Denver wins
      OR
    • Oklahoma City wins AND Denver loses AND Minnesota loses

    Timberwolves are the No. 1 seed if:

    • Minnesota wins AND Denver loses
      OR
    • Minnesota wins AND Oklahoma City loses

    Nuggets playoff seeding scenarios Sunday

    Nuggets are the No. 1 seed if:

    • Denver wins AND Minnesota loses AND Oklahoma City loses

    Nuggets are the No. 2 seed if:

    • Denver wins AND Minnesota loses AND Oklahoma City wins
      OR
    • Denver wins AND Minnesota wins AND Oklahoma City loses

    Nuggets are the No. 3 seed if:

    • Denver loses
      OR
    • Denver wins AND Minnesota wins AND Oklahoma City wins

    Bennett Durando

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  • Christian Braun posterizes Rudy Gobert with left hand to punctuate Nuggets’ last home game before playoffs: “My best sequence in the NBA”

    Christian Braun posterizes Rudy Gobert with left hand to punctuate Nuggets’ last home game before playoffs: “My best sequence in the NBA”

    Christian Braun didn’t have time immediately to examine every single notification on his phone, but he did notice a text from his mom before he spoke to reporters.

    What did she say?

    “Lord knows,” Braun said solemnly. “I probably can’t say it in here.”

    Reactions were pouring in after his left-handed dunk over three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert on Wednesday night. The poster gave the Nuggets (56-24) a 12-point lead with 3:21 remaining in an eventual 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. It upset the previously established order of the Western Conference standings with two games to go. It punctuated a 33-8 season at Ball Arena for the defending champions.

    Next time they play in this building, it’ll be Game 1 of a first-round playoff series (perhaps as the No. 1 seed, if they can hold serve this weekend). The players thanked their 41st sellout crowd in as many games by sticking around to throw souvenir basketballs into the stands. Nobody wanted to leave.

    “We’re on a high right now,” coach Michael Malone said, directing attention toward the two games Denver still needs to win to clinch home-court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs.

    Braun’s showstopper was a tribute to cathartic memories at Ball Arena — the crowd explosions that frequently defined Denver’s 16-4 run to the 2023 title — and a preview of more to come. He was pushing the tempo after a Minnesota miss, driving toward Gobert in transition from the left wing. Peyton Watson, his 2022 draft-mate, was slashing backside toward the rim. Gobert slid back to deny a lob to Watson, seemingly giving Braun a path toward the layup. Then the Minnesota center left his feet, trying to spring back at Braun.

    “I was just telling somebody in the locker room, a lot of the credit goes to P-Wat too, because I think Rudy knew that P-Wat is a high flyer running behind him,” Braun said. “So he was stunting, falling, trying to play both. Which is what you’re supposed to do, obviously, in transition. He was just caught between two guys that attack the rim pretty hard. … Most of the time, he gets those blocks.”

    Before Gobert could meet him at the rim, Braun partially switched the ball to his left hand in mid-air and navigated around the attempted block.

    “Everybody on the team knows I like to dunk with my left land,” he said. “I don’t usually try it in the fourth quarter of a big game like that, but I didn’t want to go up with a layup against the best defensive player in the league. You’ve gotta attack him strong. I don’t know. I didn’t really plan it.”

    Christian Braun (0) of the Denver Nuggets dunks on Rudy Gobert (27) of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 116-107 win at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

    Braun flexed. The entire bench flailed with delight. Play continued. Anthony Edwards missed a quick chance at the other end — part of a scoreless fourth quarter for him — and Michael Porter Jr. carried the rebound through traffic. There was Braun at the backdoor, cutting for a lob.

    Two dunks in 21 seconds for the Nuggets’ sixth man, and it was game over.

    “Probably my best sequence in the NBA yet,” Braun said.

    Same goes for the dunk.

    “Some of the dunks that were being performed and finished and completed — Christian Braun’s left-handed dunk, I’ll be honest, there were a few where I was telling them, ‘Hey, slow up, slow up, let’s work the clock,’” Malone said. “It was a dunk show for a bit.”

    After Braun’s consecutive slams, Watson got in on the action by swatting a jumper for his career-high sixth block of the game then chasing down Jamal Murray’s long outlet pass for a fast-break hammer. Braun, trailing the play, jumped with Watson out of sheer excitement.

    That either of them would be on the floor late in the fourth quarter to begin with was a testament to the playoff blueprint both had followed to near-perfection throughout the game. Watson’s blocks spoke for themselves. Braun’s defense was equally valuable as he challenged ball-handlers at the point of attack, contained Edwards several times and even made life difficult for Naz Reid on a post-up. Edwards had gotten Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in foul trouble during the third quarter, leaving the bench players to fend and defend for themselves.

    Even with just two combined points through three quarters, Braun and Watson earned their place in the closing lineup.

    “(Malone) could have subbed us out for the guys that normally finish the game, but he trusted me and (Watson), trusted our defense, trusted us to get it done,” Braun said. “Those plays don’t happen if we come out earlier, if we check out at our usual time.”

    Bennett Durando

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  • Before Nuggets’ high-stakes clash with Timberwolves, Michael Malone and Nikola Jokic must exorcise Utah demons: “We don’t really acclimate to the altitude very well”

    Before Nuggets’ high-stakes clash with Timberwolves, Michael Malone and Nikola Jokic must exorcise Utah demons: “We don’t really acclimate to the altitude very well”

    It’s clear which of the Nuggets’ four remaining games is the most consequential, but what precedes it might be the dictionary definition of a trap game.

    There’s even a precedent. Ninth-year coach Michael Malone had that on his mind as he arrived at Ball Arena for practice Monday morning, causing him to ask special assistant to the head coach Andrew Munson for evidence.

    “I knew that we had struggled in Salt Lake City,” Malone said. He didn’t realize just how bad his coaching record was, though.

    Munson informed him that Denver has lost six consecutive road games against the Utah Jazz entering their matchup Tuesday. Sounded about right to Malone. “But…” Munson continued, catching Malone off guard — “I’m like oh, there’s a ‘but’ to this?” — the Nuggets are also 1-14 in Salt Lake during Malone’s tenure.

    Bulletin board material: obtained.

    Denver’s excursion to face Utah (29-49) is the forgettable first half of a critical back-to-back that will help shape the final seeding of the Western Conference playoffs. The second half is back home against Minnesota in a showdown that could finally determine the No. 1 seed once and for all. With four games to go and the entire league idle Monday, the Nuggets (54-24) know this much: They will automatically clinch that top seed if they win out. But if they lose to the Timberwolves, with whom they’re currently tied, they’ll all but forfeit the race. Minnesota would have to lose two of its other three remaining games, while Denver would have to win all three. And Oklahoma City would have to lose at least one more.

    Needless to say, human nature might be to disregard that irksome round-trip flight to Utah, where a lottery team awaits.

    “My most important message to our group today was, everybody’s talking about Wednesday night; I don’t care about Wednesday night,” Malone said. “Because if we don’t handle our business tomorrow night, that takes away from the importance of Wednesday.”

    So Malone quizzed likely MVP winner Nikola Jokic about the number of games they’ve won together at Delta Center. The Nuggets center guessed three. “I wish it was three,” Malone responded.

    He had one-on-one discussions with a number of Denver’s players Monday, making sure everyone was on the same page entering the last week of the regular season. As of about noon, Malone believed the entire roster would be making the trip, “and hopefully they’re all available to play tomorrow night.” That includes Jamal Murray, who returned Saturday after a seven-game absence, and Aaron Gordon, who missed the last win with a foot injury.

    Despite various bumps and bruises, the Nuggets are feeling good overall about their collective physical state with the playoffs looming.

    It’s their mental state that has Malone worried. And the apparently cursed state that is Utah.

    “I think it’s jet lag,” he deadpanned. “That’s a really long flight. And we don’t really acclimate to the altitude very well.”

    KCP’s off day

    One of those bumps is the swollen and distorted-looking right pinky finger of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who dislocated it during a game in February. Since then, he’s been deciding during his pregame shooting routine whether he wants to tape up the finger or leave it alone that night.

    Whatever he’s doing is working — he’s shooting 47.6% from 3-point range in 22 games since the All-Star break — but he says the injury “won’t heal up until the summertime.”

    Bennett Durando

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  • Nikola Jokic triple-double, Michael Porter Jr. 31-point game lead Nuggets to win over Knicks

    Nikola Jokic triple-double, Michael Porter Jr. 31-point game lead Nuggets to win over Knicks

    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.

    Bennett Durando

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  • Why Nuggets want Reggie Jackson to stay aggressive during slump: “This team is mad at you if you don’t shoot”

    Why Nuggets want Reggie Jackson to stay aggressive during slump: “This team is mad at you if you don’t shoot”

    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.

    Bennett Durando

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  • Things to do in Denver this weekend, March 8-11 | Denverite

    Things to do in Denver this weekend, March 8-11 | Denverite

    By Cassidy Ritter, Special to Denverite

    Get out and support local restaurants by participating in Denver Restaurant Week. The celebration ends on Sunday.

    Other weekend happenings include goat yoga, several new art exhibit openings, and home games for both the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets.

    Don’t forget to set your clocks forward one hour on Sunday.

    Whatever you get up to, make it a great weekend!

    Notes: Events with an * are taking place virtually or outdoors.

    Friday, March 8

    Kids and family

    Paper Flower Craft. Illiff Square Library, 2253 S. Peoria St., Aurora. 11 a.m-noon. Free.

    Paint a Pot. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, 9898 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora. 4-5 p.m. Free.

    Indoor Goatflix & Chill (Pete’s Dragon). The Shops at Northfield, 8246 Northfield Blvd., Suite 1690. 6-8 p.m. $20. All ages.

    Comedy and theater

    Ari Shaffir. Comedy Works Downtown, 1226 15th St. 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. $40.

    Arts, culture, and media

    Nomadic Daydreams. Walker Fine Art, 300 W. 11th Ave., Unit A. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.

    No Man’s Land Film Festival. MCA Denver, 1485 Delgany St. 5 p.m. $30. (Read more about the festival here.)

    Opening Celebration – Women In Their Infinite Forms. Denver Milk Market, 1800 Wazee St. 6:30-8 p.m. Free.

    Spring Exhibit Opening Party. MCA Denver, 1485 Delgany St. 7:30-10 p.m. $30.

    Music and nightlife

    Chelsea Cutler. Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St. 7:30 p.m. Prices vary.

    Sports and fitness

    *Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche. Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle. Watch on NHL Network or Altitude. 7 p.m. Prices vary.

    Saturday, March 9

    Just for fun

    St. Patrick’s Day. Town Center at Aurora, 14200 E. Alameda Ave., Aurora. Noon-4 p.m. Free.

    Get Lucky Bingo. The Source Hotel, 3330 Brighton Blvd. 7-9 p.m. $5.

    Kids and family

    The Learning Lab: Colorado Ballet. Ross-Broadway Branch Library, 33 E. Bayaud Ave. 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Ideal for ages 6 and under.

    Children’s Second Saturday Extravaganza. Ross-Broadway Branch Library, 33 E. Bayaud Ave. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Idea for ages 3-6. 

    Little U: Soccer Start with Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer. Hadley Branch Library, 1890 S. Grove St. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Ideal for ages 5 and under.

    The Rock and Roll Playhouse: Music of Talking Heads + More For Kids. Bluebird Theater, 3317 Colfax Ave. 11:30 a.m. $18.75. All ages.

    Beyond the Bookshelves: A Girl’s Inc. STEM Extravaganza & Community Celebration. Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, 2401 Welton St. 12:30-2:30 p.m. Free. Advanced registration is required. Ideal for ages 10-17.

    Egg Carton Flower. Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, 2401 Welton St.  1-2 p.m. Free. Ideal for ages 5-12, when accompanied by an adult.

    Comedy and theater

    Ari Shaffir. Comedy Works Downtown, 1226 15th St. 9:45 p.m. $40.

    Art, culture, and media

    Free Days. Denver Botanic Gardens – Chatfield Farms, 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Road, Littleton. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Advanced registration required.

    Fazal Sheikh: Thirst | Exposure | In Place Member Preview. Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free (members only). Advanced registration required for timed entry.

    Nomadic Daydreams. Walker Fine Art, 300 W. 11th Ave., Unit A. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.

    28th Annual Denver Jewish Film Festival. The Elaine Wolf Theatre, 350 Dahlia St. 7:30 p.m. $15-$17 (individual film tickets for in-person and virtual showings), $140 (10-pack pass), $290 (all-access festival pass).

    Lumonics Immersed. Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery, 800 E. 73rd Ave., Unit 11. 8-10 p.m. $20-$25.

    Eat and drink

    Pop-Up Bake Sale. Reunion Bread at The Source Hotel, 3330 Brighton Blvd. 9 a.m.-noon. No cover.

    Wine School: The Wide Range of German Riesling. Noble Riot Wine Bar, 1336 27th St. 3:30-4:30 p.m. $49. Advanced registration required.

    Music and nightlife

    Queen City Rovers. Town Center at Aurora, 14200 E. Alameda Ave., Aurora. 2:30 p.m. Free.

    Darshan Dance Tribe. Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery, 800 E. 73 Ave., Unit 11. 7 p.m.-12:15 a.m. $25 (in advance), $30 (at the door).

    Nocturne’s Golden Anniversary. 1330 27th St. No cover. Reservation times vary.

    Wildermiss. Bluebird Theater, 3317 Colfax Ave. 9 p.m. $20.

    Sports and fitness

    Rainforest Yoga. Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster. 7:45-8:45 a.m. $10 (members), $12 (non-members). Advanced registration required. 

    Baby Goat Yoga. The Shops at Northfield, 8246 Northfield Blvd., Suite 1690. 10-11 a.m. and noon-1 p.m. $27.

    *Colorado Mammoth vs. Toronto Rock. Watch on ESPN+. 3 p.m. Prices vary.

    Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets. Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle. Watch on Altitude or listen at 92.5 FM. 7 p.m. Prices vary.

    *Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids. Watch on Apple TV. 7:30 p.m.

    Sunday, March 10

    Just for fun

    Good Times Adventure Sled Dog Adoption. Denver Beer Co. – Platte Street, 1695 Platte St. 11 a.m. No cover.

    Kids and family

    DreamLab Birthday Party. Girl Scout DreamLab, 63 North Quebec St. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. All ages.

    Comedy and theater

    Louis Johnson. Comedy Works South, 5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village. 7 p.m. $14.

    Nick Swardson. Comedy Works Downtown, 1226 15th St. 9:15 p.m. $35-$45.

    Art, culture, and media

    28th Annual Denver Jewish Film Festival. Locations vary by showing 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. $15-$17 (individual film tickets for in-person and virtual showings), $140 (10-pack pass), $290 (all access festival pass).

    Eat and drink

    Drag Bingo Brunch. Denver Milk Market, 1800 Wazee St. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. No cover.

    Music and nightlife

    I Dream of a World – Songs of Love and Unity. OvationWest Performing Arts at Wellshire Presbyterian Church, 2999 S. Colorado Blvd., Unit 6607. 4:30 p.m. $12 (student), $24 (senior), $28 (adult).

    Sports and fitness

    Backlight Goat Yoga. The Shops at Northfield, 8246 Northfield Blvd., Suite 1690. 7-8 p.m. $27.

    All Weekend

    Comedy and theater

    Hairspray. Buell Theatre, 1350 Curtis St. 7:30 p.m. (Friday and Saturday), 2 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday). $35-$120.

    Art, culture, and media

    Space Explorers – The Infinite. Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., Aurora. 2-7 p.m. (Friday), 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (Saturday) and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (Sunday). Prices vary. Advanced registration required for timed entry.

    Wild Color. Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free (members, children ages 2 and under), $19.95 (guests ages 3-18), $21.95 (seniors ages 65 and older), $24.95 (adults). All ages. Advanced registration recommended. 

    Danielle SeeWalker: But We Have Something to Say. History Colorado Center, 1200 N. Broadway. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free (members and children 18 and under), $15 (adults). (Read more about the artist and exhibit here.)

    Have a Seat. Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free (members and guests ages 18 and under), $15 (seniors 65+ and Colorado students), $18 (Colorado residents), $19 (non-resident adults and college students), $22 (non-resident adult).

    Museum of Illusions Denver. 951 16th Street Mall. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (Friday and Saturday) and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (Sunday). $20 (children ages 5-12), $22 (seniors and active military), $24 (adults). Advanced registration required for timed entry.

    The Museum for Black Girls. 500 16th Street Mall. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. $30. (Read more about the museum and its creator here.)

    Eat and drink

    Denver Restaurant Week. Locations vary. Times vary by restaurant. $25, $35, $45, $55. (Read more about the event here.)

    Outside Contributor

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  • Nuggets, Celtics to play 2024 preseason games in Abu Dhabi, NBA announces

    Nuggets, Celtics to play 2024 preseason games in Abu Dhabi, NBA announces

    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.

    Bennett Durando

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  • Nuggets dominate clutch minutes again to spoil Lakers’ celebration of LeBron James scoring milestone

    Nuggets dominate clutch minutes again to spoil Lakers’ celebration of LeBron James scoring milestone

    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.

    Bennett Durando

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  • Nets lose 5th straight to Nuggets, but bench play deserves praise

    Nets lose 5th straight to Nuggets, but bench play deserves praise

    The Nets‘ starting five came out flat against the Denver Nuggets on Friday at Barclays Center, as they did in Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks. Brooklyn was on pace for its third consecutive blowout loss as well, until head coach Jacque Vaughn made his first pair substitutions of the game with 6:17 left in the first quarter.

    Trailing Denver 18-7, Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton went out, Dorian Finney-Smith and Day’Ron Sharpe came in. The Nets immediately went on a 12-4 run and their energy and execution improved almost instantly. Dennis Smith Jr., back from a seven-game absence, and Royce O’Neale checked in about two minutes later and the vibes remained immaculate.

    Closing the first quarter with a lineup comprising mostly reserves, all of the sudden the game was tied at 28 entering the second.

    The tremendous impact of Finney-Smith, Sharpe, Smith and O’Neale off the bench in Friday’s 122-117 loss can be summed up to a single sequence. With 11:27 left in the first half, Smith drove to the basket, drew two defenders then dished it off to Claxton — who finished with a game-high 16 rebounds — for an easy dunk. Smith forced a turnover moments later and tossed it up the floor to O’Neale, who then found Finney-Smith in the left corner for a 3-pointer that gave the Nets a 33-28 lead.

    While it still was not enough to avoid a fifth straight loss — and second to the defending NBA champions in nine days — the effort of Brooklyn’s reserves will give Vaughn plenty to think about tonight ahead of Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.

    Finney-Smith, Sharpe, Smith and O’Neale combined for 47 points on 16-of-30 shooting with 13 assists and two turnovers in the loss. All four reserves who played finished positive in plus/minus while all five starters were negative. Finney-Smith, who went 4-of-5 from deep, was a team-best plus-13 in 30 minutes.

    Sharpe, a plus-2 in 19 minutes off the bench, recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Smith was plus-9 in 19 minutes and O’Neale was plus-7 in 22 minutes.

    The Nets’ reserves outscored Denver’s 47-23. And as Vaughn continues to chew over how he wants minutes distributed, while taking the team’s recent slow starts into account, perhaps more opportunities will be given to the guys who play with great energy from the opening tap going forward. Because tonight it was the reserves who set the tone.

    Brooklyn will face the struggling Detroit Pistons twice in the next four days.

    CJ Holmes

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  • Denver Nuggets’ Rocky Revealed As NBA’s Highest-Paid Mascot With $625,000 Salary

    Denver Nuggets’ Rocky Revealed As NBA’s Highest-Paid Mascot With $625,000 Salary

    A new report revealed that the Denver Nuggets mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion, is the NBA’s highest-paid mascot, taking home $625,000 a year, almost 10 times that of the average $60,000 salary for a league mascot. What do you think?

    “I don’t need more evidence that my life has been a waste, okay?”

    Barry Grant, Unemployed

    This Week’s Most Viral News: June 2, 2023

    “Lucky. My boss has yet to see the value of my emphatic gesturing.”

    Carmela Loerzel, Volume Adjuster

    “I also wouldn’t be surprised if he got into Nuggets games for free.”

    Finn Becker, Digestion Coach

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