Denver, CO

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 34 points, Thunder beat short-handed Nuggets 105-100

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 34 points, Thunder beat short-handed Nuggets 105-100

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 105-100 on Wednesday night in a matchup of teams near the top of the Western Conference standings.

Denver star Nikola Jokic sat out because of pain in his lower back. Oklahoma City took advantage of the two-time league MVP’s absence by holding the defending champion Nuggets to 39.8% shooting.

Oklahoma City’s MVP contender wasn’t sure he’d play, either. Gilgeous-Alexander was questionable but ended up with his 14th game in January with at least 30 points.

“Dealing with a little bit of illness, but I (felt) good enough to play, obviously,” he said. “I wasn’t sure when I got listed. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to go tonight before the game, before a couple naps, couple sleeps. I had enough in me to go.”

Chet Holmgren had 18 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks and reserves Aaron Wiggins and Vasilije Micic each added 12 points for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City guard Jalen Williams, the team’s No. 2 scorer this season, was out with a sprained right ankle and reserve guard Isaiah Joe sat out with a bruised sternum.

“I just thought the team, like, solved problems together,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It was a great team win. We got contributions from everybody. In a game that was obviously a grind, I was just really, really impressed with the energy that we were able to tap into tonight.”

The Thunder won the season series 3-1 and avoided their first three-game skid of the season. Oklahoma City outrebounded Denver 53-47 and outscored the Nuggets 20-11 at the free throw line.

Aaron Gordon had 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Nuggets.

“I thought he was just phenomenal in terms of the effort and the aggression, the playmaking, the shot blocking, the defense,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “I mean, we asked a lot of him tonight. … I thought Aaron was just, phenomenal across the board tonight. And, it’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to get the win.”

Michael Porter Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets.

Oklahoma City led 73-72 heading into the fourth and opened the period on a 10-0 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Lu Dort. Holmgren’s one-handed putback of a missed 3-pointer by Cason Wallace put the Thunder ahead 87-74.

Denver cut its deficit to four before Gilgeous-Alexander scored on a 3-point play, then a 3-pointer, to put Oklahoma City up 10 with about four minutes remaining.

Denver stayed focused. Gordon’s one-handed dunk in traffic cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 98-95, and a pair of free throws by Jamal Murray made it a one-point game.

Holmgren’s 3-pointer gave Oklahoma City a four-point lead with 22 seconds left. The Thunder then harassed Denver into a five-second call and hung on from there.

“We have guys on our team want to win, and will do whatever it takes,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And no matter what’s going on, in the past and future, all you can do is control the present. And I think we did that tonight. We took it possession by possession. We gave it everything we had those possessions, and it was enough to win, and we were rewarded because of it.”

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Host Portland on Friday night.

Thunder: Host Charlotte on Friday night.

Source link

Click to comment

Denver, CO

Broncos are getting healthy heading into their first playoff game of 2025

Published

8 hours ago

January 14, 2026

Press Room

Broncos are getting healthy heading into their first playoff game of 2025

Every team in the NFL has injuries every season. It is part of the game and to be expected.

In having a dominant regular season that secured the #1 seed in the playoffs, the Broncos have allowed themselves to get healthy by and large at the right time.

The one glaring link missing is going to be Brandon Jones, who is going to be missed on defense. He’s a versatile, physical safety who has played exceptionally well in the Broncos’ defense.

But getting back inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw is a big deal. He’s an enforcer over the middle and is capable of covering backs and tight ends in the passing game (which is what the Bills love to target).

With Brandon Jones out, the news of P.J. Locke returning is welcome news. The Broncos are thin at safety, and he’s been the #1 backup for the safety group all season long. Hopefully, he’s learned from last year’s playoff game and won’t let Josh Allen pick on him as he did in last year’s playoff game.

Another key player getting healthy is Jonathan Franklin-Myers, who is an absolute beast of an interior lineman and a pass-rushing nightmare. With the style of pass rush that the Broncos employ on mobile quarterbacks, Franklin-Myers and compatriot Jared Allen could have big games up front.

At the end of the day, the Broncos have no excuses for this game. They are healthy, prepared, and playing at home. Now they just need to go out there and execute on Saturday.

Source link

Denver, CO

‘I can only imagine what it’s going to be like’: Broncos eager to play in front of home crowd as postseason football returns to Mile High City

Published

20 hours ago

January 13, 2026

Press Room

‘I can only imagine what it’s going to be like’: Broncos eager to play in front of home crowd as postseason football returns to Mile High City

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — By the time Bills quarterback Josh Allen steps to the line of scrimmage, that’s already too late.

The noise — the deafening roar of more than 76,000 fans at Empower Field at Mile High — must start earlier.

The yells, the stomps, the claps and the screams, as Head Coach Sean Payton emphasized Tuesday ahead of the Broncos’ first home playoff game in a decade, must start when Allen and the Buffalo Bills enter the huddle.

In the leadup to Denver’s playoff opener, Payton has touched on the importance of the noise coming earlier. He’s pointed to the difficulty of the quarterback communicating the play call in the huddle — and how the communication breakdowns could provide an advantage for Denver’s defense.

“There’s a stress that goes with that, too,” Payton said in mid-December. “That’s stressful. Creating that stress is a big advantage.”

Payton pointed to Empower Field at Mile High as one of just a handful of stadiums in the league with a potential to be truly deafening, and he called for that level of noise again when Denver hosts the Bills. The request, too, is simple enough. In 10-second bursts, when the Bills are in the huddle and as they line up to snap the ball, the noise should boom through the stadium. And then again. And then again. And again, for each of the Bills’ offensive snaps.

As Denver looks to book a trip to the AFC Championship Game, Payton knows that would be “a huge advantage” for the Broncos.

Wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who is poised to play in his first career home playoff game, said he is eager to see how Broncos Country shows up for a long-awaited postseason matchup.

“I’ve been saying since I got here that we needed to get a home playoff game back in the city,” Sutton said. “The way that the fans have been showing up, Broncos Country has been bumping.

“… I can only imagine what it’s going to be like, first [postseason] home game since 2015. It’s well overdue, and I’m excited to see Broncos Country show up and show out.”

Cornerback Pat Surtain II said he’s also ready for a raucous environment that could help push the Broncos to a win.

“I know the atmosphere is going to be crazy,” Surtain said. “The stadium is going to be rocking at [Empower Field at] Mile High, and I’m looking forward to it. … I can already feel the magnitude of it and how electric that stadium is going to be. It’s going to be exciting.”

Playing a postseason game at home, of course, is not enough on its own to guarantee a win. During Wild Card Weekend, four of the six road teams earned victories.

“We have to be ready to play our best game,” Payton said.

In key moments, though, the Empower Field at Mile High crowd could help swing the game in Denver’s favor, whether via a miscommunication in the huddle or a pre-snap penalty. And in a battle that could come down to the very end, that could help the Broncos improve upon their 17-5 home postseason record.

“I expect it to be extremely loud,” quarterback Bo Nix said. “I expect it to be a great environment.

“… Something tells me it’ll be kicked up a notch, just because it’s got ‘playoffs’ on it.”

Source link

Denver, CO

3 No Bull Offensive Keys

Published

1 day ago

January 13, 2026

Press Room

Everything the Denver Broncos have worked for is now in front of them. They have conquered the regular season and have the best possible position heading into the NFL postseason.

Now that we’ve got some separation from the regular season and a week without Broncos football being played, I’m ruminating on what the Broncos are going to do on the field in the playoffs.

One of the big things I love about cheering for this team today is just how dynamic and cunning the coaching staff is on both sides of the ball. Sean Payton is the real deal, both as a head coach first and foremost and as an offensive coordinator. He’s constantly shifting the team’s game plan to match opponents, keep them off balance, and take advantage of weaknesses that show up on film.

As a guy who loves to play armchair coach during the season a bit, I’m going to share some ideas I have that seem like somewhat obvious tweaks to this offense we are likely to see in the postseason.

Go with the hot hand at running back

DENVER , CO – JANUARY 4: Jaleel McLaughlin (38) of the Denver Broncos rushes as Marcus Maye (35) of the Los Angeles Chargers sizes him up during the third quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, January 4, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Denver Post via Getty Images

One issue I see on offense is the disparity at times in who is getting carries at running back when you look at the production on the field. Most of the last few games have seen Jaleel McLaughlin produce more consistently than RJ Harvey in raw run play production. I think one obvious thing we may see Sean Payton do is to let McLaughlin have more carries if he stays hot.

That’s not to say that I’m down on Harvey. I just think when a guy is producing, you should adjust to give that guy more carries at the running back position. RJ Harvey is a talented back who produces both on the ground and through the air (especially in the red zone).

The only aside I can see about this idea is that it is possible that McLaughlin and Harvey aren’t interchangeable from a play-call perspective. It is possible

Punish man / off coverage looks with quarterback scrambles

DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 19: Bo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos runs for a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at Empower Field at Mile High on October 19, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Bo Nix is a scrambling weapon with the ball. In the playoffs, if the defense wants to sink coverage or play man Nix will need to be quicker to take the ground yards. For much of the regular season, we’ve seen Nix stay very disciplined with wanting to throw the ball down the field on scrambles. There’s a fine line to walk with this, as sometimes you need to just punish defenses for ignoring your athletic capability.

Nix ran 83 times in 2025 and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. He easily could have had 100 carries with a more aggressive approach. Keeping Nix healthy means it is a much better idea for him not to take the risk in the regular season. He’s pretty good at taking angles out of bounds or sliding and knowing when to do that to avoid big hits, though.

The Broncos’ offense doesn’t really scare anyone, but adding this wrinkle in the postseason should help open things up quite a bit.

Get Mims and Franklin some deep shots

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 12: Marvin Mims Jr. #19 of the Denver Broncos celebrates after teammate Troy Franklin #16 caught a pass for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills during the AFC Wild Card Playoffs at Highmark Stadium on January 12, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Easily the most frustrating thing about the Broncos’ offense this season has been their inability to connect on their deep shots. Nix hasn’t dialed in his accuracy deep down the field yet, which is a shame. The Broncos end up in a lot of man coverage situations and rarely are able to capitalize.

In the postseason, it is time to change that. We have both Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin, who are superb deep pass targets with killer speed. If the Broncos can get their run game production geared up, they absolutely will have opportunities to hit these deep plays.

Bonus No Bull thoughts on Sean Payton

LANDOVER, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 30: Head coachSean Payton of the Denver Broncos looks on prior to the game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium on November 30, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Don’t get lulled to sleep by the last few games of the season. Everyone who knows football sees the same thing I have in my game reviews: Payton kept things vanilla on purpose.

It is a hard thing to watch a team go run, run, pass ad nauseum (am I right, Broncos fans who “enjoyed” the Dan Reeves era with John Elway?). That was strategic, not senile.

Sean Payton is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game (with all due respect to Kyle Shanahan, Andy Reid, and Sean McVay). He knows exactly where this team is at and what is at stake in the postseason. The Bills are going to have to go back to some old tape to try to sort out what our offense is about.

No matter what they prepare for, I expect a good dose of plays that they won’t know are coming. The world at large may think that the Bills are Goliath. That’s just fine. Payton knows exactly how dangerous a team can be when everyone thinks your team is a bunch of young Davids.

Source link