Austin, TX

Jokic scores 31, Nuggets top Spurs 117-106 in front of record crowd in Austin

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2024

Jokic scores 31, Nuggets top Spurs 117-106 in front of record crowd in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Nikola Jokić scored 31 points and the Denver Nuggets beat San Antonio 117-106 on Friday night in a game played in the Texas capital as the Spurs drew a record crowd in their bid to broaden their regional fan base.

What You Need To Know

Nikola Jokić scored 31 points and the Denver Nuggets beat San Antonio 117-106 on Friday night in a game played in the Texas capital as the Spurs drew a record crowd

The Spurs have played in Austin the last two seasons to broaden their reach financially and build their fan base. The move proved a popular choice as the Spurs set the attendance record for a sporting event at the Moody Center with 16,223 on Friday.

The game had its difficulties logistically. Teams were unfamiliar with where to go in the stadium. Monitors and video boards for statistics were not updating or were completely out, and Spurs radio announcer Bill Schoening had to deliver his broadcast over his cellphone

After having his initial shot blocked by San Antonio rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama, Jokic went 13 for 19 from the field. The reigning NBA Finals MVP added seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

“I don’t think anybody can do what Nikola does,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s amazing. Fantastic.”

Jamal Murray added 15 points and 10 assists for Denver, which won its fifth straight game and for the 11th time in 12 games to remain atop the Western Conference standings.

Jeremy Sochan scored 19 points and Devin Vassell and Wembanyama each had 17 points for San Antonio, which lost its third straight.

The Spurs have played in Austin the last two seasons to broaden their reach financially and build their fan base. The move proved a popular choice as the Spurs set the attendance record for a sporting event at the Moody Center with 16,223 on Friday.

Still, Nuggets coach Michael Malone was concerned his team would not have the right mindset, since Austin is not a traditional NBA city.

“It has a preseason feel to it,” Malone said prior to the game. “I hope for our players that once the jump ball goes up that we understand this is not the preseason, this is a real game. We have to lock in and give it the attention and respect that it deserves.”

The game had its difficulties logistically. Teams were unfamiliar with where to go in the stadium. Monitors and video boards for statistics were not updating or were completely out, and Spurs radio announcer Bill Schoening had to deliver his broadcast over his cellphone.

But, any concern Malone had about how the defending NBA champions would respond were quickly dashed.

The Nuggets shot 55% from the field and led by as many as 21 points.

Denver forced 16 turnovers, which led to 27 points.

“Just tremendous activity,” Malone said. “You want to be disruptive defensively. You don’t want to let teams run their offense script and let them get whatever shot they want. You want to disrupt them and make teams feel you and I think we are doing a really good job of it.”

Despite Wembanyama’s early block on Jokic, Denver attacked the rim with impunity. Aaron Gordon had an alley-oop dunk one possession after dunking with Wembanyama trailing closely. Michael Porter Jr. followed by completing a three-point play on a contested layup and foul by Julian Champagnie.

Porter finished with 13 points and Gordon had seven.

Denver went on a 12-0 run in the opening quarter and built a 19-point lead.

“When we play defense like that, we make our life really easier,” Jokic said. “We are a good running team. We can get to the basket; we can shoot some open 3s. We can have some easy offense. Our defense is something that needs to be there every day and today it was there.”

The Spurs cut their deficit to 81-77 on Keldon Johnson’s contested layup against Jokic with 1:23 remaining in third, but the Nuggets quickly rebuilt a double-digit lead in the fourth.

“Some things you can’t match,” Popovich said. “You can’t match the talent level that they have right now with (Spurs’) young team, but you see what it takes. The consistency, we have the effort, I’m proud of the way we played. We were really shaky in the first quarter, like almost too much respect in a sense. We looked a little hesitant, and they got it back together and played well through about halfway through the third quarter and then Murray took over and Jokic took over.”

UP NEXT

Nuggets: At Dallas on Sunday night.

Spurs: Host Brooklyn on Sunday night.

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Austin, TX

Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin

Published

5 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a Silver Alert for an elderly man who has been missing since Friday afternoon in Austin.

The Austin Police Department is looking for Charles Evans, a 73-year-old man diagnosed with a cognitive impairment. Evans was last seen at 5:37 p.m. on Jan. 9 in Austin.

Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin

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Police describe him as a 6’3″ tall white male, weighing 225 pounds, has gray hair, hazel eyes, and who uses a walker.

Law enforcement officials believe his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5000.

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Austin, TX

Man arrested, charged for deadly shooting at downtown Austin hotel

Published

17 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested, charged for deadly shooting at downtown Austin hotel

article

AUSTIN, Texas – A 20-year-old was arrested and charged with murder for a deadly shooting at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Austin, police said.

What we know:

Police said on Monday, Jan. 5, around 6:55 a.m., officers responded to a report of a gunshot at the Cambria Hotel at 68 East Avenue #824. The caller said a person had been shot.

When officers arrived, they found a man with injuries. He later died at the scene. He was identified as Luke Bradburn.

The investigation revealed that Bradburn drove and crashed a car that belonged to 20-year-old Maximillian Salinas. After the crash, Bradburn and the other people in the car left and went to the Cambria Hotel.

Salinas went to the hotel and shot Bradburn.

On Jan. 6, Salinas was arrested and charged with murder.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Austin Police at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.

The Source: Information from the Austin Police Department

DowntownCrime and Public Safety

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Austin, TX

Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis

Chants of “shame” and “ICE out of Texas” rang through the street as Austin-area activists joined thousands across the nation in protesting the killing of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.

The protest was held in front of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.

Good, 37, was shot in her SUV while attempting to drive away from several ICE officers who ordered her to exit her vehicle.

Scarleth Lopez with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the organization that led the protest, said the videos of the shooting in Minneapolis were “sickening.”

“Trump has lied and and said that Renee was a terrorist. She was a mother. She was an innocent bystander,” Lopez said. “We must organize to stop these people from kidnapping and murdering.”

Lorianne Willett

KUT News

Spray painted messages appeared outside of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville

Elizabeth Bope, a retired Pflugerville ISD teacher, said the claims from federal and state lawmakers that Good was attempting to strike the ICE agent with her vehicle inspired her to attend the protest.

Such claims were posted online by Vice President J.D. Vance and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Attorney General Ken Paxton reposted a statement from DHS on X, formerly known as Twitter, that said the ICE agent “relied on his training and saved his own life.”

“It’s beyond really any words that they killed this woman for no reason, but also that they’re lying about it,” Bope said. “I’m not even a radical left person, I’m just a regular old Democrat.”

Other key Texas leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have not commented on the shooting.

A group of protesters holding yellow signs reading "ICE Out of our Communities" gather during a night time protest. — Protesters gathered and held signs during a protest against ICE.

Doug Tickner, who said he works for a home building company in Austin, said he felt it was important to show up in person for Good.

“I don’t really think of Minneapolis as being that far from here, and it’s not like what happened in Minneapolis was some sort of one off unique event,” Tickner said. “This is part of a pattern, and I feel folks better wake up and realize that this is becoming more and more serious.”

The news that federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, broke hours before the protest.

The gathering in Pflugerville is among the first of four anti-ICE demonstrations planned across the Austin area over the next few days.

Earlier on Thursday, protesters gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard during rush hour. A protest on Friday will be held at the Capitol and another will be held Saturday at City Hall.

Protesters bang on the outside of a building built of metal. — Protesters bang on the outside of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.

State and federal leaders are now sparring over who should conduct an investigation into the Minneapolis shooting, according to NPR.

Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which was originally asked to conduct a joint investigation with the FBI, said in a statement it was later told the investigation would be led solely by federal authorities.

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