Denver, CO
Ex-Husky McDaniels Comes up Big Again as Minnesota Ousts Denver
Making it extremely hard on themselves, the Minnesota Timberwolves fell behind by 20 points in Game 7 of their playoff series against the NBA defending champion Denver Nuggets on the road, but all was not lost.
On Sunday night, former Husky forward Jaden McDaniels and his teammates regrouped in shocking fashion and rescued an improbable 98-90 victory to eliminate Denver from the postseason.
For the second consecutive game, the 6-foot-9 McDaniels came up big, scoring 23 points this time to share team scoring honors with 7-foot center Karl-Anthony Towns and propel Minnesota into the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks, beginning on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
In 40 minutes of play in Game 7, McDaniels connected on 7 of 10 shots, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, grabbed 6 rebounds, stole the ball twice, handed out an assist and blocked a shot.
“I wouldn’t call myself the MVP,” he said. “I was just doing whatever I can to help this team win.”
After scoring a collective 35 points in the first five games of the series, McDaniels provided 21- and 23-point outings to help pull the Timberwolves out of a 3-2 series deficit. He was good on a combined 15 of 20 from the field in the past two outings, including 6 of 9 treys.
“Coach just said to have an even keel and that’s what we do,” McDaniels said, referring to Timberwolves leader Chris Finch. “We stayed together through the adversity and got back into the game.”
The Timberwolves trailed 53-38 at halftime and the deficit grew to 58-38 in the third quarter before they the comeback began. Entering the fourth quarter, they still trailed 67-66. With 9:26 left to play, Minnesota went in front for good at 75-72 on Mike Conley’s deep 3-pointer.
“It ain’t the championship, but it’s good to beat the defending champs,” McDaniels said, “and show how good we can be.”
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The Denver Broncos have undergone a uniform overhaul, beginning in 2024. The Broncos rolled out the Mile High Collection ahead of the 2024 season, which included three different uniform combinations, plus the ’77 Throwbacks.
In 2024, Broncos fans were also treated to a Midnight Navy jersey/pants combination with the white ‘D’ helmet on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns. On top of that, the Broncos rocked their White Out look, which included the Summit White jersey/pants combination and their standard Bronco logo on a white helmet, against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day last season.
The Broncos are keeping things fresh, and it’s going to be fun to see the different jersey combinations the team rolls out each week this coming season. Fans are obviously partial to the designs, but where do the Broncos’ uniform combinations rank among their NFL peers?
Sports Illustrated‘s Mike Kadlick ranked all 32 NFL teams’ uniform combinations, with the Broncos checking in at No. 10.
“Known as the ‘Mile High’ collection, the Broncos’ new uniforms debuted ahead of the 2024 season, and they remain awesome. Jam-packed with nods to Denver and the surrounding area, their jerseys feature a sleeve cap with a mountain peak and subtle triangles along the sides to represent Colorado’s summit markers. Their helmets, meanwhile, don a bumper that reads “5280”—a reference to Denver’s elevation above sea level. Rounded out with an all-blue alternate kit and a classic throwback look that incorporates the team’s D helmet logo, the Broncos nailed their recent redesign,” Kadlick wrote.
Attention to Detail
It’s not No. 1, but at least the Broncos are in the top 10. As Kadlick noted, Denver’s attention to detail in the new uniform designs is second to none.
Kadlick had the Los Angeles Chargers ranked No. 1, which, I’ve got to admit, kind of surprised me. I’ve never been that impressed by the Chargers’ designs, but to each their own, I suppose.
The Chiefs ranked No. 11, with the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 14, for whatever it’s worth. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but Kadlick had a few questionable uniform designs ranked ahead of the Broncos, I must say.
Besides the Chargers at the top, Kadlick had the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 5), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 6), Washington Commanders (No. 8), and Miami Dolphins (No. 9) ranked above the Broncos. I’ll hear you out on the classic look of the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers (with slight modern twists), as well as the cool options the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans are rolling out nowadays, but the Chargers are meh, the Bengals and Bucs are downright ugly, and the Commanders are just plain.
No big deal, though. Posts like this make for timely offseason fodder as we await the return of football. The Broncos just finished up their offseason training program, and we’re now firmly in the NFL summer.
The cleats will hit the grass again at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit on July 28, when the veterans report for training camp. From there, the whirlwind of the 2026 season will begin in earnest.
Let’s hope the product on the field looks as good as the Broncos’ Mile High Collection uniforms. The Broncos have produced two double-digit-win seasons since the Walton-Penner ownership group rolled out the new uniform designs, so there is a precedent in place.
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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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