Denver, CO
Denver Nuggets Film Friday: Third quarter merchants – Denver Stiffs
If you’re not familiar with Film Fridays, each Friday, I’ll be looking at some recent Denver Nuggets’ games, lineups or something else from a film aspect to try and bring you a piece of content that you’re not getting somewhere else. Feel free to give any feedback positive or negative in the comments or find me on Twitter.
Before I say anything else, I have got to say that it has to suck to root against Nikola Jokic. The dude will spend two hours of your life moving around at his pace and dragging you through the mud with him. Then, right when you think you have him at the brink, he’ll crush your hopes. He lets all of his emotions fly that had been sitting below the surface all game long. I’m glad to say that I get to root for him on a nightly basis.
CALLED GAME FROM 39 FEET OUT 🃏 pic.twitter.com/wi492XDao5
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 5, 2024
Now, with that out of the way, a belated Happy New Year to all, and thank you for being here. The Denver Nuggets are a third quarter evisceration machine. I’m not sure what they’re doing in the locker room at halftime, but they’re annihilating teams coming out of the break. Among 5-man lineups with at least 100 third-quarter minutes, Denver’s starting five leads the NBA with a net rating of 30.4, which is 14 points better than any other lineup.
Denver has consistently shown over the last few years that they’re one of the league’s best closing teams. Due in large part to their potent offense, they can afford to “slack” off a bit in the first half of games. That allows them to conserve energy for those big third quarter explosions. So, what exactly is this team doing in the third quarter that makes them just such a handful for other teams to deal with?
Get Shooters Going
One key thing for Denver’s offense is getting their shooters going early in the quarter. The spacing that is provided by Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jamal Murray opens the floor up for Jokic and Aaron Gordon. When there’s space to move around, there’s space to make plays. Denver started their third period against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night in a tie game. On their first possession, they get into their offense early, with the ball getting swung to the corner. Murray drives in before kicking across the court to KCP, and he feeds MPJ in the corner for a triple.
Jokic is the straw that stirs the team’s drink. There’s no one that’s going to argue against that. However, you can argue that Murray is right up there in terms of importance for this team’s success. When he’s playing well, it adds an element to the offense that makes them so much more difficult to deal with. Instead of just dealing with Jokic as a primary ball handler that can create his own shot or set up the rest of the guys on the floor, now you have Murray too. Here, it’s early in the quarter, and Denver just wants to get him an easy look to see his shot go through. Murray uses the screen from Jokic to generate some space, and he knocks down the look. Now, the rest of the quarter the defense has to honor his shooting away from the rim because he can take over a game in an instant.
Use the Space
This play takes place less than two minutes after the first clip from this piece. The defense for the Hornets was swarming around on that first possession and collapsing on the ball at every spot. Now, after just one MPJ triple, they can’t do it. Due to Jokic’s passing ability, they have to stay on their man. One person collapsing a little too hard, and there’s going to be a triple raining in over their head. So, thanks to the one-on-one matchup, Jokic just calmly backs down his defender and flips in a little hook shot that looks like he was demonstrating it for a tutorial video.
This play takes place just a couple possessions after the second clip from the above section. Denver has gotten a couple of baskets on the board in the period, and they’ve slightly stretched their lead at the half from three to four. The defense is keyed in on Jokic looking for outside shooters, but they’re forgetting about the ability for those shooters to move. They all get caught watching their stationary targets that KCP’s leak to the basket doesn’t get read until it’s too late, and he gets the free layup.
Denver, CO
Twitter reacts to another Bo Nix comeback vs. Texans
The Denver Broncos have made significant work of the fourth quarter this season. Denver has outscored opponents 80-26 in the final 15 minutes during their six-game win streak, which have led to some heart-pounding games from the Broncos this year. Denver has scored 96 points in the final 15 minutes this season, tied with the Green Bay Packers for the most in the NFL.
In Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans, the Broncos entered the final frame down 15-7, before promptly scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game with just over 12 minutes left. Bo Nix then led a final Denver drive to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired. Sunday marked the Broncos’ fourth fourth quarter comeback this year, tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the most this season. Twitter lit up after Nix’s latest great escape.
The Broncos now have a short week to prepare for the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
Denver, CO
First memorial to Flight 629 bombing, one of Colorado’s deadliest mass murders, unveiled in Denver
There is a distinct before and after the night of Nov. 1, 1955, when a United Airlines flight exploded over a sugar beet field near Longmont, killing all 44 people on board in one of the deadliest mass murders in Colorado history.
There is before Susan Morgan lost her parents, Stewart and Anne, at 12 years old because a Denver man, Jack Gilbert Graham, put a homemade bomb in his mother’s suitcase.
Graham bought a life insurance policy as he escorted his mother, Daisie King, to the gate for United Airlines Flight 629 at Stapleton Airport. She unknowingly carried 25 sticks of dynamite, timed to explode after the Portland, Oregon-bound flight took off.
There is before Dave Benedict learned, at 3 years old, that he would never meet his grandparents, James and Sarah Dorey, because they were killed when a bomb exploded on their flight to visit him for the first time.
Now 70 years after the bombing of Flight 629, families of the 44 victims gathered at the former Stapleton control tower for the unveiling of Colorado’s first memorial to the tragedy.
“Today’s commemoration is not just about what happened in 1955, it’s about who we became because of it,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek told hundreds of people gathered at the FlyteCo Tower on Saturday morning.
It was also about healing, Benedict said. He thought this weekend would include a dinner, maybe, and was at a loss for words to describe what the ceremonies and events organized by the Denver Police Museum and dozens of other organizations and volunteers meant to him.
“The ability to listen to other people’s stories and to hear what carrying 70 years of unspoken pain has been like… we’re hearing that over and over again,” he said. “Very few of the victims’ children or spouses had any context in which to talk about this, to work through it or process it, so that’s happening now.”
In the decades after losing her parents, Morgan came to realize she also had lost her life as she knew it and who she thought she would become, she said.

But even knowing the darkness that became part of her life, Morgan told the crowd of families, first responders, investigators and court officials, she cannot wish that it never happened. That she had never created her “second family,” or viewed the world with clear eyes.

“I’m among a large group of people whose lives have been scarred by the same tragedy as mine,” Morgan said. “That sense of something shared is a remarkable thing.”
It’s not clear why it took so long to create a memorial to the bombing, although some officials on Saturday speculated the scattered nature of the victims’ families – only one, Daisie King, was from Colorado – played a part.
But each one had a story, former Denver Police Department Deputy Chief William Nagle told the crowd. Nagle read out name after name, describing the life behind each one.
Capt. Lee Hall, a World War II veteran who was planning to retire early. He left behind a wife and four children.
Helen Fitzpatrick, who was flying with her 13-month-old son, James, so he could meet his father and namesake while he was deployed in Japan.
They were restaurant owners, general contractors, car salesmen. Folks taking the first airplane trip of their lives.
“What is important now is that we tell the story of each of these 44 lives,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston told the crowd.
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Denver, CO
Denver mom turns backyard into emergency food pantry on Halloween amid SNAP benefit uncertainty
DENVER — A Denver woman turned her backyard into an emergency food pantry on Halloween, hoping to fill a need while federal food assistance remains uncertain.
Joanna Rosa-Saenz organized the grassroots food drive after hearing about food insecurity in her northwest Denver neighborhood.
“We live in America. We shouldn’t be hungry, we shouldn’t be hungry,” said Rosa-Saenz. “And I don’t want anyone on my block to be hungry.”
Denver7
Federal judges in two separate cases ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the government shutdown.
The Massachusetts ruling came after about two dozen states sued the federal government, arguing the Agriculture Department’s plan to halt all SNAP payments starting Nov. 1 would unlawfully cut off aid to millions of low-income families.
The Agriculture Department had argued it could not legally tap contingency funds to keep the program running. But the judge disagreed and ordered the agency to report back by Monday on how it will fund benefits. Under the ruling, payments could still be temporarily reduced depending on available funds.
Around the same time, the Massachusetts decision was issued, a federal judge in Rhode Island delivered a similar ruling from the bench. That case was brought by cities and nonprofit groups, and the court likewise found the administration must use available funds to continue providing benefits.
President Donald Trump indicated his administration would comply with the rulings, but accused the courts of issuing conflicting opinions and is seeking more clarity on how SNAP should be funded.
National Politics
Judges say Trump administration can’t suspend SNAP benefits during shutdown
Despite the rulings, it’s unclear when and how much assistance will be given out for the month of November.
With the need still there, Rosa-Saenz opened her backyard to the public Friday afternoon and asked the community to drop off canned goods while trick-or-treating.
The emergency food pantry now holds essential items like canned and dry goods, personal hygiene products and baby items.
Denver7
Rosa-Saenz, a single mother of three, told Denver7 she understands the challenges many families are facing today because she is a former SNAP recipient.
“I remember having to stand in line for a food box, things like that,” Rosa-Saenz said.
But to get the food drive up and running, Rosa-Saenz knew she needed help. Several nonprofits joined the effort, including Lacy McDonald, executive director of Outer Haven, a nonprofit working to reduce youth inequities.
Denver7
“One phone call can turn into this,” said McDonald. “And this is just a little snippet, so think what we could do together as a whole city.”
Before trick-or-treating started Friday night, more than 900 pounds of food had been collected for Rosa-Saenz’s backyard.
“That’s what community is,” she said. “Community is stepping up, working together and really making unity in the community.”
Scripps News Group contributed to this report.
If you would like to donate, below is a list of donation locations:
- 4229 Irving St. in Denver.
- Open from Nov 1 through Nov. 10
- Donations can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily
- 5123 Chase St. in Denver
- Open from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2
- Please place donations at the end of the driveway
- Moonflower Coffee, located at 4200 W Colfax Ave. in Denver
- Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
These are the most needed items:
- Ramen, pasta, rice, cereal
- Canned tuna, chicken, beans, soup
- Canned fruits & veggies
- Peanut butter & jelly
- Baby food, formula, diapers & wipes
- Menstrual products, toothpaste & soap
- Denver7 Gives has created a campaign to help Coloradans struggling with food insecurity. Click on the form below and select “Help Fight Food Insecurity“ to donate.
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