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Do The Denver Nuggets Have A Defense Problem?

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Do The Denver Nuggets Have A Defense Problem?


U-G-L-Y, the Denver Nuggets ain’t obtained no alibi for the way dangerous they’ve appeared defensively by means of a lot of their first week of the season.

Regardless of some constructive stretches of stable play on that finish of the court docket, most notably of their street win towards the Golden State Warriors, for essentially the most half Denver’s protection had been, effectively, ugly.

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The query now’s whether or not that is the start of a worrisome pattern that may persist by means of the season, or only a fluky, aberrant begin that the Nuggets can put behind them earlier than it transforms from a mere pink flag into an ongoing drawback.

“We had been embarrassing tonight,” head coach Michael Malone stated after the Nuggets’ current blowout 135-110 loss on the Portland Path Blazers. “It was a poor effort after that first quarter, didn’t defend in any respect. We will’t guard one-on-one proper now in any respect.”

Guards Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons mixed to attain 60 factors for Portland, collectively capturing a blistering 21 of 33 (.636) from the sphere and an much more daunting 11 of 19 (.579) on three-pointers.

Malone additionally cited Denver giving up 18 “blow-bys” (when the ball handler drives previous his defender in direction of the rim) for 22 factors towards Portland, and 16 blow-bys for 31 factors towards the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder of their earlier recreation.

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And people blow-bys had been simply the tip of the iceberg.

“We gave up 60-plus factors within the paint, we gave up 48 factors off threes, we put them on the foul line 31 occasions, they’d 20-plus in transition,” Malone lamented, checking off field after field on a reasonably exhaustive checklist of defensive transgressions the Nuggets dedicated towards Portland.

“We did zero defensively tonight.”

And the statistics by means of Denver’s first 4 video games, whereas admittedly needing to be taken with giant grains of salt as a consequence of it being such a small pattern measurement, would point out they’ve performed little on defensive total.

The Nuggets are permitting essentially the most opponent factors per recreation within the NBA at 124.5, and in keeping with Cleansing the Glass, the 123.1 factors they’re giving up per 100 possessions (a extra correct measure than the per recreation quantity because it’s pace-adjusted) make them the next-to-worst protection within the league to this point this season. Poor efficiency on protection is the primary wrongdoer in Denver now having the sixth-lowest web ranking within the league, getting outscored by their opponents by 7.5 factors per 100 possessions, regardless of placing up 115.6 of their very own, for the tenth-best offense.

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For a Nuggets staff which centered on protection over the offseason by buying ostensive defensive upgrades on the guard and wing positions in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, and subsequently making defensive the central focus of coaching camp and the preseason, this was clearly not the outcome they had been anticipating. And the completeness of the a number of fronts on which they’ve seen defensive failures to this point, and which Malone so totally catalogued, factors to a irritating lack of progress – at the very least to this point – towards attaining his said objective of Denver changing into a top-five protection.

Whereas the dearth of effort Malone cited is actually disappointing from the angle of the Nuggets failing to play as much as the excessive requirements they’ve set for themselves as title hopefuls this season, it might probably be a silver lining. Dedicated and chronic effort is a significant a part of any good NBA protection, and easily attempting tougher is likely one of the most realistically achievable cures to Denver’s struggling protection, as in contrast with reconfiguring defensive schemes or juggling lineup mixtures.

For Malone, this implies bringing the trouble early, and on the level of assault. “With a man like Simons, you’ll be able to’t let him get going,” he stated. “That’s a tricky hearth to place out. We’re not firemen. We don’t need to put fires out.”

“And we closed brief to him,” Malone added. “We closed with our fingers right down to him. He’s a shooter, and that wasn’t the sport plan. So we did a very poor job with our recreation plan self-discipline tonight.”

With elevated focus, effort and consciousness, bettering recreation plan self-discipline must be comparatively simply inside attain for the Nuggets, so long as the willingness is there.

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And it’s not as if some bumps within the street had been to not be anticipated. With two of their three prime stars in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. getting back from lengthy damage absences, the Nuggets weren’t solely anticipating however planning a gradual ramp-up for each as they work their means again to recreation form and full well being.

Their return, together with the acquisition of at the very least 4 new common rotation gamers (if rookie Christian Braun is included, because it seems he must be), additionally leads to the Nuggets having a really modified roster this season regardless of some through-lines of continuity, with, for instance, second-year guard Bones Hyland enjoying alongside Murray for his or her first time. Sure, Caldwell-Pope, Brown and Braun are defensive-minded additions, however with so many new gamers within the combine, it appears inevitable that a while will likely be required for everybody to regulate to one another’s video games and for the staff as an entire to gel and develop good chemistry.

Maybe Denver’s largest ongoing problem, even it it’s one which has clearly been overblown at occasions, is developing an efficient protection round back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic. Whereas Jokic’s defensive prowess markedly improved final season, and is usually higher in that division than the dangerous rap he will get from some corners of the NBA mediasphere, he’s not a conventional heart as a rim-protecting, shot-blocking again line defender. And missing that failsafe, the Nuggets need to make use of some creativity which can usually depend on Jokic’s frontcourt teammates Porter and Aaron Gordon to make well timed rotations on assist protection to forestall opponents from reaching the rim on these aforementioned blow-bys.

However it’s additionally incumbent on Denver’s guards and wings to batten down the hatches on the perimeter and stop these blow-bys within the first place, a activity at which, as Malone identified, they haven’t been as much as snuff at as but this season.

With two wins and two losses, the Nuggets are removed from wanted to panic about falling behind too far within the standings, and there are nonetheless 78 common season video games remaining for them to determine these points out.

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An enormous a part of that accountability falls on the shoulders of newly-hired assistant coach Ryan Saunders, previously head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who is basically enjoying the position of Denver’s “defensive coordinator.” Since this, as with their new participant additions, represents one other personnel reshuffling for the Nuggets, it’s cheap to anticipate that teaching workers adjustments and readjustments may take a while to get ironed out as effectively.

But when the present trajectory doesn’t enhance of Denver’s protection not solely underperforming, however doing so throughout almost the whole swath of three-pointers, paint factors, fouling and transition, and the Nuggets proceed getting blown out by opponents who look fully comfy scoring at will, then the strain on each Malone and Saunders will nearly actually begin to warmth up.



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Denver, CO

Denver firefighters, city, reach tentative contract agreement

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Denver firefighters, city, reach tentative contract agreement


The union representing about 1,000 Denver firefighters announced Monday it had reached a tentative agreement on a new two-year contract with the city of Denver. It calls for cumulative 5% salary increases in 2026 and 2027. All told, firefighters would see a 10% salary increase for the two years.

Under the terms of the tentative agreement, longevity pay for firefighters will slightly increase. Some military leave time will increase, but firefighters will not get uniform allowance over the two years and will also lose their “birthday pay.” 

Fire department members will vote on the agreement later in May. If approved, the new contract would go into effect January 1, 2026.

The city estimates the new contract would cost the it an additional $4 million in 2026 and another $7 million in 2027.

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Give OKC Thunder bench —\u00a0Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace —\u00a0credit for Game 4 win

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Give OKC Thunder bench —\u00a0Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace —\u00a0credit for Game 4 win


The Thunder’s Big Three came through. 

Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace, that is. 

Give each of them a game ball, because without the opportunistic play of the three benchmen, this is a 3-to-1, all-but-over series. Instead, it’s a 2-2 split heading back to Oklahoma City after the Thunder took Game 4 92-87 on Sunday afternoon in Denver. 

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In the five-point win, Wiggins was a team-best plus-14 in his 16 minutes. Caruso and Wallace, who played 28 and 23 minutes respectively, were both a plus-12. Those were the three best plus-minus marks for the Thunder. Single game plus-minuses can be deceptive, but nothing about those numbers was a fluke. 

After an overtime period in Game 3 and a quick turnaround ahead of Game 4, “we made a very intentional effort to use our depth today and get everybody going,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 

Aaron Wiggins saves basketball … playoff series for Thunder

OKC’s biggest advantage over Denver is its depth. On Sunday, the Thunder’s bench outscored the Nuggets’ bench 35-8. 

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In a game where 3-pointers were so precious, Caruso, Wiggins and Wallace accounted for eight of the Thunder’s 10 long-range makes. Combined, they shot 8 of 14 (57%) from 3. 

The rest of their teammates were 2 of 27 (7%). 

The triples from that bench trio were timely, too. 

  • Down six midway through the third quarter, Wiggins buries a 3, assisted by Wallace, to cut Denver’s lead in half. 
  • Down six later in the third quarter, Wallace makes a 3-pointer to cut Denver’s lead to three yet again. On OKC’s next possession, Wiggins drills another 3. 
  • Wallace, with 10:43 left in the game, hits a 3 to narrow Denver’s lead to four points. Wallace then hits his third 3 — on as many attempts — to give the Thunder a two-point lead with 8:35 to play. 

Caruso’s 3-pointers (he was 2 of 5) came earlier in the game, but he was as clutch as could be in the fourth quarter. Doing classic Caruso things, like punching the ball out of Nikola Jokic’s hands for a Thunder rebound and junking up Denver’s offense by applying relentless pressure. 

“They were huge,” Daigneault said of his bench. “They made huge shots and they gave us huge defense and toughness plays in that stretch of the game. Big, big time.” 

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Alex Caruso replaces Lu Dort for Thunder vs Nuggets down stretch

Caruso played all but seven seconds of the fourth quarter. Daigneault rode Caruso down the stretch in place of starter Lu Dort, who wasn’t used at all in the fourth quarter. 

Caruso didn’t make a shot in the fourth quarter, but he was instrumental in the Thunder outscoring the Nuggets 29-18 in the final frame. 

The story of Sunday was the Thunder overcoming its clutch-time terrors. But OKC would not have made it to clutch time if not for the timely baskets and tenacious defense of Caruso, Wiggins and Wallace in the critical moments to close the third quarter and open the fourth. 

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brought the game home with nine points in the fourth and a team-high 25 overall, but he didn’t get much offensive help from his main sidekicks. 

Jalen Williams played excellent defense but had to beg for a bucket. Same goes for Chet Holmgren. Combined, J-Dub and Chet shot 6 of 23, including 0 of 8 from 3-point range. 

The Thunder had to rely on a different Big Three in Game 4. And because of them, the series is headed to Game 5 all knotted up.

Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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Denver organization collects unwanted guns and turns them into

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Denver organization collects unwanted guns and turns them into


The organization is called Guns to Gardens, and the Denver chapter was created after the King Soopers shooting in Boulder back in 2021. Since then, they’ve disposed of hundreds of weapons, potentially saving hundreds of lives.

The group held an event Saturday at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Denver.

The volunteers run a well-organized drive-thru-style operation where people can hand over their guns, no questions asked. They watch as the guns are destroyed on-site by a saw.

“We take it to the saw station, where it’s destroyed, according to ATF legal guidelines,” said Michael Martin, the founder of RAWtools, the organization Guns to Gardens is under. “Then once it’s destroyed, the person turning it in there, they’re just off to the side in their car, they’re able to leave, and they get a gift card as a thank you.”

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For retired schoolteacher Rita Niblack, every gun accepted is potentially a life saved. Now retired, she dedicates her time to making Denver safer.

“People bring firearms for different reasons, and one of them is- they have children in their home, and they no longer want these,” Niblack said. “We take firearms from people who say, ‘I have a family member with dementia, I don’t want this in my house anymore.’ We have had people who brought us a firearm that was used for suicide of a family member, and they want to see it cut up so that it can’t do harm to others.”

While volunteers pack up, the work is far from over for Martin. A seasoned blacksmith, he’ll later transform the guns into gardening tools or art.

“The idea of turning ‘swords to plowshares’ is what sparked a lot of this,” Martin said. “Turning it into something that’s going to cultivate life or bring joy to somebody’s life, like jewelry or something else, art is really meaningful. And everybody here today, we had over 50 volunteers that are a piece of that.”

Niblack wears a piece of that art around her neck. The heart, formed from a gun, sends an impactful message.

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“I wear this because I want to remember how many hearts have been crushed by gun violence and keep them close to my heart as I do this work,” she said.

Martin estimates that there have been around 2,500 to 3,000 guns turned in within the Denver Metro area since they started these events back in 2021.



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