Denver, CO
Denver avoids disaster as the Nuggets down the Los Angeles Lakers 131-126 – Denver Stiffs
The Denver Nuggets gave up 40 points to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter and trailed late but managed to pull out the win in the end over the Lakers 131-126. Jamal Murray hit a dagger 3 in the final minute on his way to 26 points, while Nikola Jokic had 28 points but just 7 rebounds and 5 assists and the final dunk of Russell Westbrook’s 17 points sealed the deal. A Lakers squad that counted LeBron James and Luka Doncic among its missing players still put up 126, led by Austin Reaves with 37 points and Dalton Knecht with 32. Denver outlasted LA in the end, but these aren’t the sorts of games you look back on fondly – even if they do count in the standings just the same.
Game Flow
The Lakers won the tip but Jamal Murray hit a driving layup for the first points of the game for Denver. The Lakers hit a three, but missed a few consecutive finishes. Jamal Murray had a couple of poor decisions after that and Denver struggled to get going offensively as Jokic was fronted constantly. Jarred Vanderbilt nailed a three for LA, answered by one from Aaron Gordon in his return from injury. Gordon missed his next attempt, while LA kept grabbing offensive rebounds and converted enough to go up 10-5. AG and Vando exchanged finished, and Jokic had a nice leaning finish around Alex Len. Jokic got a steal that turned into a take foul, and Gordon got to the line on a drive. Gordon fumbled a pass from Jokic but Jokic then finished a paint bucket himself the next time down – but Denver’s own paint defense was non-existent. Christian Braun finished a Jokic-assisted 3 to make it 21-18 Los Angeles, and then Christian assisted a great Russell Westbrook transition dunk off a steal. Austin Reaves kept dicing Denver up inside, and Denver kept hoping for foul calls they were not getting. Denver let Bronny James light them up and coughed up 40 points in the first quarter showing no defense, trailing 40-32 after 1.
MPJ’s free throws were the first points of the second quarter, followed by a tough Jamal Murray 3. Markief Morris hit a jumper but Russ made a three to get Denver within a bucket. Jamal got to the line after a Shake Milton bucket, and Zeke Nnaji had a great dunk off a Russ assist to tie it at 44. Reaves made a couple of free throws after driving the hoop, Braun had a nice layup in traffic after a pump fake, but Dalton Knecht hit a 3 to keep the Lakers in front. Jokic and MPJ answered with back-to-back dunks, then Jokic got three free throws on a foul behind the arc to put Denver in front. The two squads exchanged jumpers for a couple of minutes, but Denver started to squeeze the Lakers and get more focused on both ends and forced their way to the charity stripe. Westbrook and Knecht traded threes, Braun and Reaves swapped paint buckets, and even after another Knecht 3 in the final minute the Nuggets still went into halftime up 71-67.
Braun had an offensive rebound and putback for Denver’s first points of the second half, then he and Gordon hit back-to-back threes to stretch the lead to 10. Len had a finish at the rim to stop the streak, but Porter answered for just his 6th point of the game. He rebounded hard to start the third quarter though and assisted a Jamal Murray finish to put Denver up 83-71. Jamal Murray had an incredible finish on one possession, then buried a 3 on the next one as his energy amped up and the Lakers forgot he kills them. Knecht and MPJ traded nice threes, and Jokic had a transition bucket assisted by Christian Braun, but the Lakers kept pressing and making buckets. Jokic got free throws but missed both, then made both the next time down. Jamal missed a three then made the next to hold off an attempted Lakers mini-run, and Braun had a beautiful euro-step finish. Jordan Goodwin hit a three for Los Angeles though, and after a Russ turnover Christian Koloko had a Lakers dunk to cut the lead to 3. Zeke Nnaji finally got a tip finish off an MPJ miss after a couple of tries, but Goodwin’s step-back jumper in the waning seconds made it 102-99 Denver going into the fourth.
Denver started the fourth with some sloppy offensive play, as Russ turned it over and the offense sputtered with several bench players in. Nnaji and Watson were neither rebounding nor scoring and the Lakers took the lead at 103-102 to force a quick Malone timeout. Murray almost turned it over after that timeout too and neither MPJ nor Zeke could finish at the rim, then an immediate turnover by Denver off Zeke’s hands after a rare stop. Knecht had a layup to put LA up 3 as Denver missed it’s first 7 shots of the quarter until Peyton Watson finally made a dunk. Westbrook bricked a 3, Nnaji got a block and Watson missed yet another rim finish but did get to the line. He failed his next drive attempt too, and after a Reaves three Jokic got called for an offensive foul. Morris hit another three to get the lead to 111-105 as Denver had just 3 points in the first 6 minutes of the quarter. Jokic finally rolled home a paint bucket, then grabbed a rebound to start an MPJ transition dunk. Porter then had another Jokic-assisted rim finish to tie it at 113 and force a Lakers timeout. Murray made a bank shot to put Denver ahead, Reaves was blocked and Jokic got to the line for a made free throw. Reaves answered with two of his own, but Jamal Murray made a big 3 from the top of the key, and then Christian Braun had a steal and dunk to make it 121-116 Denver. Knecht made another three in response though, while Aaron Gordon hit a couple of pressure free throws. From there it was a disaster though as Goodwin made a corner three, Jokic was involved in 2 turnovers, and LA had a pair of finishes from Reaves and Knecht to go up 3. Knecht fell hard on the dunk (no foul involved) and Denver regrouped with a timeout that resulted in a Jokic drive for a traditional 3-point play to tie it up. Jokic and Murray ran their 2-man game after a Lakers miss and Murray buried a dagger three off a Jokic screen. Russell Westbrook had the steal on the inbounds and dunked it in the final seconds to end the chances for the Lakers and Denver won the game 131-126.
Final Thoughts
– It would be great if Denver could be more serious about these sorts of games. Giving up 40 points in the first quarter to a team giving Bronny James significant minutes is a travesty. Denver answered back in the second quarter, but taking things seriously from the jump would seem to be the easier path to victory than sleep-walking for a quarter or more before deciding to play the right way for a stretch. Russ was great in the first half, mostly terrible in the second outside of a key final play, and the end of the third quarter went like the start of the first: no consistency, no execution, lack of focus and effort.
And it didn’t get better in the fourth quarter. Going 1-for-10 in the non-Jokic minutes is a travesty. Trailing in the waning minutes because your stars can’t execute simple plays with each other and instead are turning the ball over is ludicrous. Jokic is obviously hurting, missing free throws and shots he would normally easily make while also playing poor perimeter defense at several points of this game, but no one was able to really focus this team and sloppy play on both ends plagued them. That’s sort of the problem they’ve had all year, honestly. Giving up 99 points through three quarters to a Lakers team missing several starters is not a good showing for a Nuggets squad with everything to play for, especially against this team. Denver pulled out the win with some last-minute heroics from Murray and Westbrook, but letting it get to that point is a team issue – an issue that has reared its head all season and is showing no signs of going away.
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Country bars are back—big time. Arguably, they never went away in the first place (Denver’s Grizzly Rose has been rootin’ and tootin’ since 1989), but if you want to understand the resurgence of Western watering holes, look to Gen Z businessman Colton Patterson, 19. Daydreaming in class at Columbine High School in Littleton, he started sketching cowboy-themed art—pearl snaps, mustangs mid-gallop, pickup trucks—in his notebook, then posting on an Instagram page that now has more than a million followers.
Last month, the young entrepreneur opened an-old fashioned watering hole, Broken Bow, in Five Points. It joins a slew of other new (and newish) spots where you can wear a ten-gallon hat, drink a cheap beer (or a fancy whiskey, if that’s more your style), and cue up some Johnny Cash.
Jump Ahead:
Read More: 10 of the Best Places to Go Dancing in Denver
- Where: 5450 Lincoln St., Denver
When one mechanical bull won’t cut it, head to the Grizzly Rose, where two of ’em buck nightly. Indisputably the king of Denver honky-tonks, the 40,000-square-foot, 37-year-old wonderland just off I-25 north of Globeville often hosts big-name acts. On June 26, Rodney Atkins, who’s had six country chart-toppers, swings by. Kids are free on Sunday family nights, when the 7 p.m. line dancing class is also gratis.
Read More: Step Inside Denver’s Last Honky-Tonk
- Where: 2201 Lawrence St., Unit B, Denver (Ballpark)
Colton Patterson isn’t old enough to drink the beer he sells, but the 19-year-old parlayed social media fame (his cowboy nostalgia page has a loyal following) into a brand-new, but decidedly old-school, Western bar and dance hall in Five Points. At Broken Bow, which opened in April, you can play pool, catch a concert, and grab a burger from Dalton’s. Stop by on Thursday nights for free swing dance lessons, and catch live shows from bands like Front Range Revival.
- Where: 1930 Blake St., Denver (LoDo)
If you’ve ever wanted to twirl beneath an enormous boot-shaped disco ball (made by local mirror-ball specialist Lauren Young), Belles & Boots is your spot. The 4,000-square-foot, year-old LoDo bar and restaurant has a cheeky, feminine vibe and is warmly lit by neon artwork. The line dancing scene attracts experienced boot-scooters and first-timers alike, and the event calendar is quirky (see: a platonic speed-dating mixer).
- Where: 2430 South Havana St., Aurora
Beloved for its Ladies Night on Wednesdays (gals get two free drinks after a $10 cover), this Aurora country music venue and dancehall welcomes all comers, genre-wise. Catch performances from touring conjunto, banda, norteño, and cumbia acts; take West Coast swing lessons; or even watch a Muay Thai fight, because why not?
- Where: 1665 N. Grant St., Denver (Uptown)
In October 2024, an 1880s-era red sandstone mansion in Capitol Hill was transformed into the fourth location of the Urban Cowboy hotel chain (also in Brooklyn, Nashville, and the Catskills). The designs in its 16 rooms exude eccentric Western heiress vibes, with boldly patterned custom wallpaper and ornate tile. Honeymooners can splurge on a suite with double copper soaking tubs, but you don’t need to be celebrating anything to knock back a cold one in the Public House where Little Johnny B’s serves wood-fired pizza.
- Where: 3965 Tennyson St., Denver (Berkeley)
At this new, upscale mashup of a saloon and a custom hat shop on Berkeley’s Tennyson Street, sip your choice of 23 varieties of whiskey or bourbon while a high-quality lid is molded to precisely fit your noggin. The zero-proof cocktail options are impressive, including an Old Fashioned with walnut bitters, tea, and cherry. Starting at $225 for wool and $525 for beaver, the hats ain’t cheap, but your grandkids will inherit them.
Read More: 16 of the Best Venues for Live Music in Denver
Denver, CO
One Invitation Can Change a Life: Called By Name Campaign Inspires Future Priests For a Second Year in Denver
The Archdiocese of Denver’s vocations initiative continues to bear fruit as more men explore a possible call to the priesthood.
Lean in close, dear reader. We’ve got a secret for you. God has a plan for your life.
While this might not be a tremendous surprise to most faithful Denver Catholic readers, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget to ask God what that plan is. We might even have our own ideas of what we want to do with our lives, neglecting input from the divine.
That’s where the Archdiocese of Denver’s Called By Name campaign comes in. In 2025, the inaugural year, over 900 names were submitted during the May campaign, which coincides with Good Shepherd Sunday. Nearly 100 of those men attended an August discernment retreat, and the Archdiocese saw 27 men enter priestly formation for the 2025-2026 academic year, with about another 20 expected to enter for the 2026-2027 year.
The campaign seeks to make vocational discernment more accessible for men, especially in response to a dire need for more priestly vocations in the Archdiocese of Denver. With only 14% of the archdiocesan presbyterate hailing from Colorado, a minority ordained for the Archdiocese and 4,054 Catholics per active archdiocesan priest, Jesus’ own words that “the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few” ring true (Matthew 9:37).
For the men nominated a year ago, Called By Name presented an opportunity to go deeper in faith and to ask the Lord what his will is for their lives.
“I feel like if I don’t go to seminary, I’m going to be asking the question if I’m called to be a priest for the rest of my life. That’s why I’m going to seminary, to try and get that question answered,” said Jeremy Gillett, an incoming seminarian from Longmont. “I feel like I’ve gone to a couple of discernment retreats at the seminary, and every time it just feels like this place is home. It very much feels like a good place to be.”
Building on the inaugural year’s tremendous results, the Archdiocese of Denver sponsored Called By Name for a second year in a row, identifying 405 men that local parishioners prayerfully think could make happy, holy, healthy priests.
“The Called by Name campaign continues to pave the path for Denver’s next generation of men discerning the priesthood,” said Chris Kreslins, senior client manager at Vianney Vocations, who facilitated the campaign. “Building on the momentum of last year’s 955 nominations, the 405 men nominated in the 2026 Called by Name campaign will be invited to a year full of discernment opportunities, beginning with a special event with Archbishop Golka and Father Jason Wallace in August.”
“I’m grateful that our archdiocesan family has put forward 405 young men they’ve discerned could make good and holy priests. It’s a great blessing, and a sign that God is moving in big ways across the Archdiocese of Denver, in the faithful witness of my brother priests especially,” Denver Archbishop James Golka said. “The priesthood is a wonderful, beautiful life and vocation, and I’m so grateful that God has called me to love and serve his people in this way.”
For the 405 men nominated in the 2026 campaign — and many others — the archbishop expressed his hope that God make known his will and give them the courage to follow him.
“God has a plan for each of our lives, and it’s a beautiful plan meant to bring us joy, fulfillment and grace. When we follow Jesus, when we give the Father everything, we are the happiest and holiest we can be because we’re living through him, with him and in him,” Archbishop Golka said. “I pray that these 405 men and many others hear the voice of God calling them to the full, free and fulfilled life he has in store for them as they love and serve his people.”
The Nuggets are facing a lot of problems this offseason with roster building, but we’ve become so used to one of the biggest ones that we barely even mention it anymore: Zeke Nnaji’s contract. For years, the brutal and inexplicable 4-year, $32 million extension that Calvin Booth handed him has been weighing the team down like an anchor, and sadly, it’s not going away any time soon.
Booth thought he was being clever by getting the extension done a year early, thinking he was getting great value on a player who would be a helpful stretch-big for years. But Nnaji immediately fell off a cliff, and the contract quickly became disastrous long before it ever even went into effect.
Nuggets completely botched the Zeke Nnaji contract
He has been unplayable and out of the rotation, and thus, completely untradeable, and the pathetic reality is that nothing about that situation has changed. Unbelievably, Nnaji still has next season fully guaranteed at $7.47 million, and a player option for the same amount the following season.
That’s basically two years and $15 million for a player who doesn’t play. The Nuggets’ front office and coaching staff were never on the same page, and his value has been completely sapped. They desperately need to shed salary, and his deal is a clear albatross, and yet, to do so, they’d almost certainly have to sacrifice draft capital or a rotation player.
It’s pitiful to think they are wasting a roster spot and a salary greater than the taxpayer’s midlevel exception on a 25-year-old who can’t even sniff the court, but that’s exactly where things stand.
The fact that the Nuggets can’t even convince a young, rebuilding team to take a flier on Nnaji is a massive indictment on the organization. Denver needs to free up money badly to keep Peyton Watson and make other moves, and the Nnaji deal is a clear and obvious roadblock. They are probably going to have to salary dump a starter like Cam Johnson or Christian Braun to accomplish their offseason goals, and that’s partly due to Nnaji’s deal.
Nuggets must pay to get off Nnaji deal
That’s brutally bad asset management, but instead of dwelling on the past, the Nuggets should be forward-thinking. They are going to have to trade away a good player anyway, so perhaps instead of seeking a positive return, they should look to dump Nnaji in the deal. It may be the best (and perhaps only) way to move him, after all.
Someone like Johnson should have positive trade value and has appeal for many contending teams. As great as it would be to get back a decent player or some draft picks to refurbish the kitty, it may actually be more valuable for Denver to force that team to take Nnaji as well.
Again, this is a pathetic thought to even be having, but that’s where things stand in Denver. With ownership unwilling to splurge on the roster, and Nnaji’s contract sticking out like a sore thumb, the Nuggets may just have to bite the proverbial bullet and be done with it.
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