Denver, CO
Denver visits Eaglestaff and North Dakota
Denver Pioneers (8-18, 2-9 Summit League) at North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks (9-17, 3-8 Summit League)
Grand Forks, North Dakota; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Fightin’ Hawks -8.5; over/under is 152.5
BOTTOM LINE: North Dakota takes on Denver after Treysen Eaglestaff scored 24 points in North Dakota’s 80-69 loss to the UMKC Kangaroos.
The Fightin’ Hawks are 6-5 on their home court. North Dakota ranks second in the Summit League in rebounding with 34.7 rebounds. Amar Kuljuhovic paces the Fightin’ Hawks with 6.8 boards.
The Pioneers are 2-9 in conference games. Denver is 2-12 against opponents with a winning record.
North Dakota averages 77.5 points per game, 1.9 fewer points than the 79.4 Denver gives up. Denver averages 7.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.4 fewer made shots on average than the 8.9 per game North Dakota gives up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Eaglestaff averages 2.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Fightin’ Hawks, scoring 18.3 points while shooting 34.1% from beyond the arc. Mier Panoam is shooting 52.0% and averaging 16.7 points over the past 10 games.
DeAndre Craig is scoring 13.5 points per game and averaging 3.7 rebounds for the Pioneers. Sebastian Akins is averaging 11.2 points and 1.7 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Fightin’ Hawks: 3-7, averaging 80.4 points, 31.1 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 5.7 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 84.6 points per game.
Pioneers: 2-8, averaging 69.1 points, 26.7 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 5.5 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 78.8 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Nuggets are declining Jalen Pickett’s fourth-year team option for the 2026-27 season, releasing him from his contract, league sources told The Denver Post.
Former Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth drafted Pickett with the 32nd overall pick in 2023. The 6-foot-2 reserve combo guard has struggled to break into Denver’s everyday rotation throughout his first three years in the league.
His $2.41 million salary next season would’ve offered the Nuggets a sliver of cap relief, but they chose instead to move on from the former Penn State star. Monday was the deadline to make a decision on his option.
Pickett, 26, averaged 5.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 16.1 minutes per game last season. He appeared in 50 games, highlighted by a career-high 29-point, seven-assist performance in January to lead the Nuggets in an upset over Philadelphia without their entire starting lineup.
Pickett is shooting 38.7% from the 3-point line on two attempts per game in his first three years. He also boasts a sturdy 3.63 career assist-to-turnover ratio.
But he’s remained a deep bench option under two different head coaches in Denver, from Michael Malone to David Adelman. Booth was fired in April 2025. Then, new co-general managers Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer signed veteran point guard Tyus Jones off the buyout market late last season when the Nuggets wanted ball-handling depth. Jones received playoff minutes over Pickett during their first-round series against the Timberwolves.
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Firefighters say a car crash was the cause of a large fire that broke out north of the Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon.
The Brighton Fire Rescue District says a vehicle was traveling through the area of E. 120th Avenue and N. Watkins Road around 2 p.m. when it crashed. Fortunately, the people inside the vehicle did not suffer serious injuries, but the fire department says the vehicle’s catalytic converter caught the nearby grass on fire.
The 120 Fire quickly grew, and firefighters responded with engines, brush trucks and water tenders to attack it from multiple sides. Multiple agencies responded to assist as the winds continued to push the fire across the grassland.
It covered around 237 acres by the time firefighters brought it under control around 3:30 p.m. BFRD says firefighters continued to put out hotspots and monitor a large cottonwood tree that was smoldering nearly 30 feet up the trunk.
With Independence Day approaching, the fire rescue district shared a reminder that a single spark can ignite a fast-moving grass fire. They added that aerial fireworks are illegal in Brighton and pose a serious fire risk in the current conditions.
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