SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – Without injured stars Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Jordan Clarkson, the Utah Jazz had little chance against the Denver Nuggets and lost for the sixth time in their last seven games.

Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Nuggets to a 122-103 victory Wednesday night at the Delta Center.

Jokic scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the first quarter alone to rally Denver from an early 12-point deficit.

Jamal Murray added 22 points, eight assists and four steals for the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. had 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Christian Braun finished with 18 points and seven boards.

Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 26 points. Keyonte George scored 23, including five 3-pointers. Walker Kessler chipped in with 16 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

Denver broke open a close game behind a 21-4 run extending from the middle of the second quarter into the third. With three baskets apiece, Murray and Porter fueled the spurt, which gave the Nuggets a 70-53 lead.

Utah trailed by double digits the rest of the way.

Jokic proved too much for the shorthanded Jazz to handle. His efficient offense helped Denver turn a sluggish start into a blowout victory.

Micah Potter and Svi Mykhailiuk made their first starts of the season. They combined for 16 points, and Potter grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds.

After George tied it on a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter, the Nuggets held the Jazz to two baskets during an eight-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarters.

Denver scored 28 points off 18 Utah turnovers. Takeaways also helped the Nuggets tally 33 fast-break points.

The Jazz next host the Dallas Mavericks Saturday night.

The Denver Broncos will look to improve the roster this coming offseason, specifically early in the 2025 NFL draft. One position that will be mocked to Denver in the latter half of the first round will be tight end.

Denver is currently receiving next to nothing from its trio of tight ends — Adam Trautman, Nate Atkins, and Lucas Krull — in the passing game and none are all that great as inline blockers. Therefore it makes some sense for the Broncos to consider the position early come April.

That’s a viable path, according to Pro Football Focus’ most recent mock draft from Gordon McGuinness. With PFF projecting Denver taking the first tight end off the board in Michigan‘s Colston Loveland, Denver could add a versatile piece to the offense that has been missing.

“The Broncos’ upcoming offseason should focus on surrounding quarterback Bo Nix with as much talent as possible. Adding a premium tight end would be a significant boost, especially considering no tight end on the current roster has more than 14 targets this season.

“Loveland has been outstanding in 2024, earning an 88.0 PFF receiving grade while averaging 2.67 yards per route run,” McGuinness wrote.

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Loveland is a good athlete for the tight end position. He explodes off the line at the snap, has extremely strong hands at the catch point, and offers flexibility to play in line or in the slot.

While not an overwhelming big player for a tight end listed at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds (245 is in the 18th percentile for tight ends at the NFL Combine dating back to 1999), Loveland plays tough as a blocker and in yards-after-catch situations, while not being special in either area.

Loveland is an exceptionally smart player who understands spacing as a pass-catcher and blocker deployed in a multitude of ways. He wouldn’t simply replace the Broncos’ tight ends should he land in the Mile High City, but with Sean Payton’s emphasis on a “big slot,” Loveland would see ample snaps replacing Lil’Jordan Humphry as well.

The Broncos offense has been on the rise. Thanks in large part due to the growth of rookie quarterback Bo Nix into what appears to be a franchise-caliber quarterback, Courtland Sutton’s re-emergence as a viable No. 1 receiver, and the upper-echelon play from the offensive line (specifically in pass protection), the Broncos offense just keeps getting better.

Since Week 7, Denver’s offense ranks 13th in the NFL in EPA/Play and 15th in offensive success rate compared to being the 26th-ranked offense in EPA/Play and 28th in success rate in Weeks 1-6. The offense is undoubtedly improving but still has ample room for growth under Payton.

Outside of running back, perhaps no position in Denver could use more of an immediate bump than tight end. Historically, though, neither tight end nor running back are high return-on-investment positions.

And given the incredible depth at tight end (as well as running back) in the upcoming draft class, Denver may consider other avenues with its first-round selection.

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More than 280 flights were delayed and two were canceled at Denver International Airport Wednesday morning as heavy mountain snow spread to metro Denver during a busy holiday travel period.

The average delay for flights in and out of DIA was less than 15 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

There were 282 delayed and canceled flights at DIA as of 11 a.m., according to Flight Aware. United Airlines reported the most delays with 89, followed by Southwest with 82, and SkyWest with 70.

DIA snow crews mobilized to ensure efficient operations, airport officials said, advising travelers to check with airlines for updated flight information and arrive at DIA two hours before scheduled departure times. Travel surges the week of Thanksgiving and DIA officials said Sunday will be the busiest day with 90,539 travelers expected to pass through security stations.

DIA ranks among the busiest airports in the world and busy holiday periods have put DIA on track to reach 82 million passengers by the end of 2024, up from 69 million in 2019.

Originally Published: November 27, 2024 at 11:22 AM MST