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Former NBA Star Makes Controversial Lakers vs. Nuggets Statement

Published

2 years ago

April 16, 2024

Former NBA Star Makes Controversial Lakers vs. Nuggets Statement

The Los Angeles Lakers will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night in the play-in tournament, and the winner will move on to face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets swept the Lakers in last year’s Western Conference Finals, which has sparked some dialogue about whether or not the Lakers would be better off losing their initial play-in game, and shooting for the 8th seed.

While this is an outlandish thought to many, it is something being discussed in certain media realms, including on the recent episode of Gil’s Arena. When speaking about this Lakers vs. Pelicans game, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas said, “We losing. Sorry Golden State, we’ll play you second game. You crazy? … If we lose Tuesday, what are we playing OKC? OKC? We’re spanking that.”

While Arenas made it clear he feels the Lakers should position themselves for 8th and a date with OKC, he made another statement about how Los Angeles would line up with Denver if Jamal Murray were to be less than 100% healthy.

“We might want Denver if Murray is still on a minutes restriction,” Arenas said. “Only if he’s on a minutes restriction. If Murray ain’t out there averaging 20… I’m just gonna be honest with you, I’m not trying to play them the first round.”

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Timberwolves to open NBA Playoffs at Denver Nuggets Saturday

Published

10 hours ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

Timberwolves to open NBA Playoffs at Denver Nuggets Saturday

Kevin Garnett returns to Target Center for Timberwolves’ finale

Former Minnesota Timberwolves’ legend Kevin Garnett returned to Target Center Sunday night for the first time in eight years. He was escorted, along with his two daughters, to their courtside seats by owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. He walked out to a standing ovation from fans, and a video tribute.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Denver Nuggets to open the Western Conference Playoffs.

It’ll mark the third time in four seasons the two teams have met in the NBA Playoffs.

Timberwolves vs Nuggets playoff series

What we know:

The Nuggets rested several of their starters against the San Antonio Spurs Sunday night, but still got a 128-118 win to earn the No. 3 seed for the Western Conference Playoffs. The L.A. Lakers fell to the No. 4 spot despite beating the Utah Jazz 131-107 Sunday night.

The Timberwolves had already earned the No. 6 seed in the West last week. They got a 136-132 win over the Houston Rockets, and in Sunday’s regular season finale, beat the New Orleans Pelicans 132-126 to finish the season 49-33.

The Timberwolves probably would’ve preferred to have the Lakers get the No. 3 seed, with star guard Luka Doncic dealing with a hamstring injury. Guard Austin Reaves is also dealing with an oblique injury.

The Timberwolves and Nuggets will play a best-of-seven series, with games 3 and 4 at Target Center, as as well as a game 6, if necessary.

Timberwolves rivalry with Nuggets

Why you should care:

The two teams enter the Western Conference Playoffs with quite the rivalry. The Nuggets went 3-1 this year against the Timberwolves in the regular season.

Last year, the Timberwolves swept the regular season 4-0, then the two teams didn’t meet in the playoffs. Minnesota got to its second straight Western Conference Finals, and the Nuggets got eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Timberwolves and Nuggets went seven games in the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals, and in Game 7, Minnesota came back from a 20-point deficit to win and advance to its first Western Conference Finals in 20 years.

In 2023, the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves in the first round on the way to winning the NBA title. Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels both missed that series due to injuries.

In 2017, the Timberwolves ended a 13-year playoff drought, needing overtime to beat the Nuggets in a play-in game, 112-106.

Game 1 set for Saturday

What’s next:

The Timberwolves will travel to Denver and face the Nuggets in Game 1 of their playoff series at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on Amazon Prime.

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Projecting Nuggets’ Lineup vs. Spurs If Nikola Jokic Plays

Published

22 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Projecting Nuggets’ Lineup vs. Spurs If Nikola Jokic Plays

The Denver Nuggets have just one game left on their regular season calendar before their postseason action gets underway, as they’ll be tasked with a road trip against the West’s second-seeded San Antonio Spurs. And it’ll be a game for Denver where they’ll be without a significant chunk of their regular rotation.

No Jamal Murray, no Aaron Gordon, and neither starter on the wing in Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson will be suiting up in an effort to rest for the postseason. Nikola Jokic is listed as questionable, but is likely to play in order to meet the 65-game minimum required for end-of-season awards.

So, as the Nuggets’ lineup is set to be shorthanded in a night that could decide their final seeding in the Western Conference playoff picture, let’s take a peek at what their makeshift starting five could shake out to be:

PG: Bruce Brown

Mar 29, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown (11) reacts after a play in the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

While Tyus Jones could fill in as the starting point guard once again as he did against the OKC Thunder, this feels like the right moment for Bruce Brown to take those duties instead; someone who’s started just three games this season, but on pace to be one of 18 players around the league to play in all 82 regular-season games.

It’s hard to roll out an extremely small lineup against a team like the Spurs and hope for overwhelming success. Brown gives the Nuggets some upside in that size department, as well as their overall shotmaking.

SG: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Mar 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Outside of Jokic, Tim Hardaway Jr. is the easiest name to fill into the Nuggets’ makeshift starting five while without four of their regular starters, even while he might be making a last-effort push for those Sixth Man of the Year honors.

If the Nuggets want to pull off an upset victory over the Spurs to continue their lengthy win streak, they’ll have to cash in on a big offensive performance from Hardaway Jr., which could be well within play as he’ll become one of their de facto top options to look for on that side of the floor.

SF: Julian Strawther

Mar 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Julian Strawther has shifted around the Nuggets lineup more than anyone this year. He’s gone from the end of the rotation to a fill-in starter on the wing, and even a DNP as Denver has gotten healthier towards the end of the season.

This game against San Antonio presents a perfect opportunity for Strawther to get a well-deserved start on the wing next to Hardaway Jr. His shot-making has been at some of the best of his career this season, averaging career-high shooting numbers from the field (46.7) and from three (38.0).

PF: Nikola Jokic

Apr 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) after the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

This is where Nikola Jokic comes in. Against the size that San Antonio presents with an alien like Victor Wembanyama in the frontcourt, coming to match that with a double-big lineup as the three-time MVP slots in at the four could be an ideal setup for this game in particular.

As it concerns Jokic’s availability, if he does play, don’t be shocked if he’s only on the floor for 15 minutes rather than the whole game. That’s all he needs to remain eligible for end-of-season awards, and might be all David Adelman is asking of him.

C: Jonas Valanciunas

Apr 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas (17) leaves the court in the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

In an effort to try and match the Spurs’ length as best as possible, Jonas Valanciunas fills into the five in our lineup projections to do just that.

Surprisingly, Valanciunas has only started six games throughout his time with the Nuggets, and only one of those showings has been with him paired next to Jokic. But with the implications of Denver being shorthanded, along with their unique matchup of San Antonio, makes for the perfect opportunity to test the fit out once more before their playoff action gets underway next weekend.

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Championship-caliber defense not enough for Wisconsin to secure NCAA hockey title

Published

1 day ago

April 12, 2026

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Championship-caliber defense not enough for Wisconsin to secure NCAA hockey title

LAS VEGAS – Wisconsin had Denver under its thumb, but somehow the Pioneers slipped away.

Denver scored twice in the final 12 ½ minutes to score a 2-1 victory over the Badgers at T-Mobile Arena. The win gave the Pioneers their third national championship in five seasons and their 11th overall, and it came on a night when they were held to a season-low 15 shots on goal.

How did the Pioneers escape with a championship that easily could have been the Badgers’? To get an answer from the UW players, they would need more than the 15 minutes they got in the locker room to regroup before postgame interviews.

The pain they felt, however, needed no explanation.

“I think I’m still a little shocked right now,” senior captain Ben Dexheimer said. “I’m definitely going to settle in in the next few days, but I couldn’t be prouder of this team from the ups and downs throughout the year. I just love every one of those guys in that room.”

Rieger Lorenz and Kyle Chyzowski scored during a 7-minute stretch in the third period for Denver, which closed the season with a 29-11-3 record and a 17-game unbeaten streak.

The Badgers (24-13-2) were also pretty good at the end of the season, winning nine of 12 games to reach their first NCAA final since 2010. UW’s first championship since 2006 proved elusive, but the program defeated three top-10 teams to get to the title game.

It was a heck of a run, just not the greatest finish.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Badgers defense held up its end of the bargain

The improvement Wisconsin made defensively as the season went on was critical to its run to the title game. The Badgers had some defensive gems in the postseason, but this may be have been their best effort.

They held Denver to two shots in the first period, tying the fewest ever in a championship game, and then allowed just three in the second. The Pioneers’ 15 shots? That was also the fewest ever in a Frozen Four game.

Both Denver goals were hard earned.

On Lorenz’s goal, UW’s Daniel Hauser made the initial save. It was the rebound that got him. And Chyzowski’s game-winner came on an extended possession that, from the UW perspective, felt longer because Hauser lost his stick halfway through it.

“I’d probably say it’s the hardest team we’ve played against all year, just how they were on it,” Denver coach David Carle said. “Their forecheck made it real challenging to be able to break pucks out. We saw it against North Dakota, as well. It was an excellent team on their end.”

A 2-0 lead may have done the trick for UW

For the fourth time in the tournament, the Badgers scored first. Freshman Vasily Zelenov took an outlet pass from Weston Knox through the neutral zone and fired his only shot of the game from just outside the left circle.

The challenge was getting a second goal.

“We needed to in my opinion, get it to two, and we just couldn’t do that,” Badgers coach Mike Hastings said.

Similar to what Hauser has done for UW at times this season, Pioneers goaltender Johnny Hicks, the most outstanding player of the Frozen Four, kept his team in games. He finished the season 16-0-1.

“We were throwing everything we had at the net, but we just couldn’t find a way to get one through,” sophomore Gavin Morrissey said.

Denver’s defenders sacrificed their bodies in win

Wisconsin finished with 30 shots. Denver tallied 31 blocks, 10 better than its previous season best.

It is rare to see a team have more blocks than its opponents has shots in a game. Given UW’s struggle to get a second goal, Maybe if one of those got through …

“Obviously we only had one, so if I had to ask for something, it’d be one to get by them,” Hastings said. “Their commitment level, just like our commitment level, is at an all-time high when we get to this moment.”

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