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Michael Porter Jr. and the Nuggets are past their slow 3-point shooting start. Will they seek more attempts next?

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Michael Porter Jr. and the Nuggets are past their slow 3-point shooting start. Will they seek more attempts next?


Nikola Jokic did his best Michael Porter Jr. impression so that both could finally rest.

Jokic was averaging 39.2 minutes, almost five more per game than his previous season average. Porter was averaging 37.8 minutes, six more than his. They’ve been Denver’s two workhorses on a depth-deprived roster. With Jamal Murray in concussion protocol for the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday night, the onus was on them even more.

The Nuggets only led 81-68 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter against a winless Utah Jazz team — not enough of a cushion for the starters to clock out early. Then in a matter of three minutes, Jokic buried three 3-pointers from three different locations: the top of the key, the wing and the corner.

“That was lovely,” Porter said, smiling, after watching the entire fourth quarter of Denver’s 129-103 win from the bench.

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The Nuggets have been roundly scrutinized, internally and externally, for their 3-point shooting options early in the new season. Jokic himself declared them “not a good shooting team” after just one game, a 7-for-39 performance on opening day at Ball Arena. He labeled Porter and Murray as the only two consistently reliable threats from deep. Both had an inefficient first weekend.

“If those couple of games at the beginning came in January, I don’t think anyone would have been too alarmed,” Porter said Saturday at Ball Arena. “So I didn’t really care.”

The Nuggets’ 3-point weaponry hasn’t been as dire as it seemed that night against the Thunder when their volume of attempts was high but their efficiency was atrocious. Since then, the team’s numbers have unfolded more accordingly with its past trend: low volume, high efficiency. Denver is 43.2% from outside excluding the opener, but on just 29.2 attempts in those five games. Overall, the Nuggets rank second-to-last in attempts ahead of the Lakers.

“With our personnel, I think I should be aiming to get six to eight, sometimes nine 3s up,” Porter said Saturday. “I think Jamal will have to take a few more. I think Nikola being willing to just let it fly sometimes will be big for us. And then Julian shooting off the bench. Just because teams are shooting more and more 3s, we’ve gotta try to shoot more, I think.”

Porter’s season clip is only 37.5% so far, but he’s 50% since the Nuggets left Denver for their first road trip. His average attempts are at 6.7, firmly within the range of his stated goal.

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But Jokic has ironically been the main perimeter revelation since his opening-night comment. He is 16 for 27 on the season (59.3%), a stat that elicited a “really?” from Porter. The Nuggets even tried an after-timeout play call in Toronto that was designed to get Jokic an open 3-point look — a clear reaction to his career-high seven 3s the previous game.

His barrage late in the third quarter Saturday was essential beyond the box score. After four consecutive games that came down to the final minute and two that required overtime, Denver’s starting lineup needs every breather it can get. Jokic saved himself, Porter and Aaron Gordon at least five or six extra minutes of playing time. He accomplished it by burying jumpers everywhere, in every way: spotting up or pulling up.

“You’ve gotta think, it’s not a 6-foot-3 guy closing out on him either,” Julian Strawther said. “It’s a 7-footer with a 7-5 wingspan every time. That’s just who (Jokic) is. Everybody in the world knows how amazing he is, and he still finds a way to shock everybody every night.”

Strawther is not as concerned with the team’s overall volume. In fact, the 22-year-old has been intentional about not overdoing it early in the season despite having been the second unit’s only efficient scorer (47.1% from three after a 3-for-6 night against Utah).

“I feel like there’s also just a balance for myself, just trying to find the right shots and not force anything. I could easily go out there and get up seven, eight, nine 3s a night,” Strawther said. “And they’d probably be a bunch of ill-advised shots. And I thought that’s something I did even my rookie year: Take a bunch of ill-advised shots. Like I keep telling y’all, my main point of emphasis is just to continue to stay efficient. And just be a guy that is known for staying efficient. … Our volume isn’t necessarily something that we’re just gonna go out there and chuck a bunch of shots.”

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Jokic’s outlandish efficiency is certain to regress even if he stays relatively hot. Any 60% clip is naturally an anomaly — in the same way the Nuggets’ season-opening stat line seemed to be one big anomaly. Still, it’s encouraging that Denver has four 3-point shooters exceeding 40%, and even more so that none of them are Porter or Murray.

Christian Braun has improved to 42.1% on low attempts. And Gordon is punishing scouting reports for daring him to chuck. He torched Minnesota for 31 points Friday, helping him to a 55% season clip beyond the arc.

The power forward doesn’t even have a specific number of reps or makes that he aims for when he begins a shooting workout. “I just shoot way too much,” he told The Post this week. “It’s just however I’m feeling.”

That seems to be the Nuggets’ general approach to their number of attempts any given game. In Toronto, they ended up taking only 20 en route to a win. In Minnesota, they crushed the Timberwolves in the paint early in the game, but it didn’t matter because the Wolves kept up entirely from 3-point range.

“I don’t think we can get that number (of attempts) up,” Michael Malone acknowledged. But the 10th-year coach has also been well aware of opponents sagging off several of his perimeter players.

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“Getting more makes,” Malone said, “is more of a priority for me.”

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Twitter reacts to another Bo Nix comeback vs. Texans

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Twitter reacts to another Bo Nix comeback vs. Texans


The Denver Broncos have made significant work of the fourth quarter this season. Denver has outscored opponents 80-26 in the final 15 minutes during their six-game win streak, which have led to some heart-pounding games from the Broncos this year. Denver has scored 96 points in the final 15 minutes this season, tied with the Green Bay Packers for the most in the NFL.

In Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans, the Broncos entered the final frame down 15-7, before promptly scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game with just over 12 minutes left. Bo Nix then led a final Denver drive to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired. Sunday marked the Broncos’ fourth fourth quarter comeback this year, tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the most this season. Twitter lit up after Nix’s latest great escape.

The Broncos now have a short week to prepare for the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football.

Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.

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First memorial to Flight 629 bombing, one of Colorado’s deadliest mass murders, unveiled in Denver

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First memorial to Flight 629 bombing, one of Colorado’s deadliest mass murders, unveiled in Denver


There is a distinct before and after the night of Nov. 1, 1955, when a United Airlines flight exploded over a sugar beet field near Longmont, killing all 44 people on board in one of the deadliest mass murders in Colorado history.

There is before Susan Morgan lost her parents, Stewart and Anne, at 12 years old because a Denver man, Jack Gilbert Graham, put a homemade bomb in his mother’s suitcase.

Graham bought a life insurance policy as he escorted his mother, Daisie King, to the gate for United Airlines Flight 629 at Stapleton Airport. She unknowingly carried 25 sticks of dynamite, timed to explode after the Portland, Oregon-bound flight took off.

There is before Dave Benedict learned, at 3 years old, that he would never meet his grandparents, James and Sarah Dorey, because they were killed when a bomb exploded on their flight to visit him for the first time.

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Now 70 years after the bombing of Flight 629, families of the 44 victims gathered at the former Stapleton control tower for the unveiling of Colorado’s first memorial to the tragedy.

“Today’s commemoration is not just about what happened in 1955, it’s about who we became because of it,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek told hundreds of people gathered at the FlyteCo Tower on Saturday morning.

A military aircraft flies over a large American flag hanging above dozens of supporters and family members attending the United Flight 629 Memorial dedication at the FlyteCo Tower on Nov. 1, 2025, in Denver. (Photo By Kathryn Scott/Special to The Denver Post)

It was also about healing, Benedict said. He thought this weekend would include a dinner, maybe, and was at a loss for words to describe what the ceremonies and events organized by the Denver Police Museum and dozens of other organizations and volunteers meant to him.

“The ability to listen to other people’s stories and to hear what carrying 70 years of unspoken pain has been like… we’re hearing that over and over again,” he said. “Very few of the victims’ children or spouses had any context in which to talk about this, to work through it or process it, so that’s happening now.”

In the decades after losing her parents, Morgan came to realize she also had lost her life as she knew it and who she thought she would become, she said.

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Family members watch as red roses are place on a new memorial in front of the FlyteCo Tower, the former airport control tower, in honor of those killed aboard United Flight 629 in 1955. Dozens of supporters and family members of those who were aboard the flight, gather for a 70th Anniversary Memorial Dedication on Nov. 1, 2025 in Denver. (Photo By Kathryn Scott/Special to The Denver Post)
Family members watch as red roses are place on a new memorial in front of the FlyteCo Tower, the former airport control tower, in honor of those killed aboard United Flight 629 in 1955. Dozens of supporters and family members of those who were aboard the flight, gather for a 70th Anniversary Memorial Dedication on Nov. 1, 2025 in Denver. (Photo By Kathryn Scott/Special to The Denver Post)

But even knowing the darkness that became part of her life, Morgan told the crowd of families, first responders, investigators and court officials, she cannot wish that it never happened. That she had never created her “second family,” or viewed the world with clear eyes.

Family members and supporters watch as red roses are placed on a new memorial in front of the FlyteCo Tower, the former airport control tower, in honor of those killed aboard United Flight 629 in 1955. The dozens of supporters and family members of those who were aboard the flight, gather for a 70th Anniversary Memorial Dedication on Nov. 1, 2025 in Denver. (Photo By Kathryn Scott/Special to The Denver Post)
Family members and supporters watch as red roses are placed on a new memorial in front of the FlyteCo Tower, the former airport control tower, in honor of those killed aboard United Flight 629 in 1955. The dozens of supporters and family members of those who were aboard the flight, gather for a 70th Anniversary Memorial Dedication on Nov. 1, 2025 in Denver. (Photo By Kathryn Scott/Special to The Denver Post)

“I’m among a large group of people whose lives have been scarred by the same tragedy as mine,” Morgan said. “That sense of something shared is a remarkable thing.”

It’s not clear why it took so long to create a memorial to the bombing, although some officials on Saturday speculated the scattered nature of the victims’ families – only one, Daisie King, was from Colorado – played a part.

But each one had a story, former Denver Police Department Deputy Chief William Nagle told the crowd. Nagle read out name after name, describing the life behind each one.



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Denver mom turns backyard into emergency food pantry on Halloween amid SNAP benefit uncertainty

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Denver mom turns backyard into emergency food pantry on Halloween amid SNAP benefit uncertainty


DENVER — A Denver woman turned her backyard into an emergency food pantry on Halloween, hoping to fill a need while federal food assistance remains uncertain.

Joanna Rosa-Saenz organized the grassroots food drive after hearing about food insecurity in her northwest Denver neighborhood.

“We live in America. We shouldn’t be hungry, we shouldn’t be hungry,” said Rosa-Saenz. “And I don’t want anyone on my block to be hungry.”

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Donations starting to pile up in Joanna Rosa-Saenz’s backyard.

Federal judges in two separate cases ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the government shutdown.

The Massachusetts ruling came after about two dozen states sued the federal government, arguing the Agriculture Department’s plan to halt all SNAP payments starting Nov. 1 would unlawfully cut off aid to millions of low-income families.

The Agriculture Department had argued it could not legally tap contingency funds to keep the program running. But the judge disagreed and ordered the agency to report back by Monday on how it will fund benefits. Under the ruling, payments could still be temporarily reduced depending on available funds.

Around the same time, the Massachusetts decision was issued, a federal judge in Rhode Island delivered a similar ruling from the bench. That case was brought by cities and nonprofit groups, and the court likewise found the administration must use available funds to continue providing benefits.

President Donald Trump indicated his administration would comply with the rulings, but accused the courts of issuing conflicting opinions and is seeking more clarity on how SNAP should be funded.

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Judges say Trump administration can’t suspend SNAP benefits during shutdown

Despite the rulings, it’s unclear when and how much assistance will be given out for the month of November.

With the need still there, Rosa-Saenz opened her backyard to the public Friday afternoon and asked the community to drop off canned goods while trick-or-treating.

The emergency food pantry now holds essential items like canned and dry goods, personal hygiene products and baby items.

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Joanna Rosa-Saenz organizing donations in her Denver backyard.

Rosa-Saenz, a single mother of three, told Denver7 she understands the challenges many families are facing today because she is a former SNAP recipient.

“I remember having to stand in line for a food box, things like that,” Rosa-Saenz said.

But to get the food drive up and running, Rosa-Saenz knew she needed help. Several nonprofits joined the effort, including Lacy McDonald, executive director of Outer Haven, a nonprofit working to reduce youth inequities.

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Pictured: Lacy McDonald, executive director of Outer Haven.

“One phone call can turn into this,” said McDonald. “And this is just a little snippet, so think what we could do together as a whole city.”

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Before trick-or-treating started Friday night, more than 900 pounds of food had been collected for Rosa-Saenz’s backyard.

“That’s what community is,” she said. “Community is stepping up, working together and really making unity in the community.”

Scripps News Group contributed to this report.

If you would like to donate, below is a list of donation locations:

  • 4229 Irving St. in Denver.
    • Open from Nov 1 through Nov. 10
    • Donations can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily
  • 5123 Chase St. in Denver
    • Open from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2
    • Please place donations at the end of the driveway
  • Moonflower Coffee, located at 4200 W Colfax Ave. in Denver
    • Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily

These are the most needed items:

  • Ramen, pasta, rice, cereal
  • Canned tuna, chicken, beans, soup
  • Canned fruits & veggies
  • Peanut butter & jelly
  • Baby food, formula, diapers & wipes
  • Menstrual products, toothpaste & soap
  • Denver7 Gives has created a campaign to help Coloradans struggling with food insecurity. Click on the form below and select “Help Fight Food Insecurity“ to donate.





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