Denver, CO
Nikola Jokic passes Oscar Robertson with 182nd triple-double, Nuggets pull away to beat Bulls
CHICAGO — The Bulls have barely had time to go around in a circle and introduce themselves since they first assembled as a team. Yet they somehow gave the Nuggets a scare on Saturday.
Denver pulled away late for a 136-120 win at United Center to snap its first three-game losing streak of the season, but the performance wasn’t convincing against a roster that looks entirely different after last Thursday. The Bulls had the busiest trade deadline in the NBA, making seven moves and saying goodbye to several of their best players. Six players in their nine-man rotation Saturday were not on the team a week earlier.
The Nuggets (34-19) went into the fourth quarter trailing by seven. They finally put their foot down with a 20-2 run to begin that final frame, led by a relentless Nikola Jokic. Listed as questionable before the game with a mildly sprained ankle, he went for 22 points, 14 rebounds, 17 assists and four blocks, passing Oscar Robertson for second in NBA history with his 182nd career triple-double.
“It hits me, knowing my father played against Oscar Robertson,” coach David Adelman said.
Jokic says he has a space at home designated for “all those little moments, little memories,” where he’ll keep the game ball.
“I think it’s great for after the career,” he said. “I’m gonna look up and I’m gonna lie really good (about how good I was).”
Denver won Jokic’s minutes by 36 and lost the minutes without him by 20. Jamal Murray added 28 points and 11 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 23 off the bench.
But the Nuggets got killed in the possession battle for most of the night, allowing their hosts to linger. They committed 13 turnovers, with seven of their 10 players responsible for at least one. Chicago also snatched 12 offensive rebounds. Those stats combined to result in a discrepancy of 13 field goal attempts through three quarters.
“DA got on us in the locker room,” Bruce Brown said.
“I have no idea what I was saying, but it wasn’t very instructive. It was very frustrated,” Adelman said. “Just, how many times can you play good defense and then allow them to have a second and third chance? Which is a skill, man. Coming up with the ball. … Getting the ball wins you games. So we did that better in the second half.”
Mostly just in the fourth quarter. Loose balls seemed to be scooped up by only one team for the first two hours of the night. Denver also got disorganized off Chicago’s offensive rebounds or over-helped out of the corners, allowing the Bulls to rain 3s — even new center Nick Richards, who had previously made only one 3-pointer in his career. The Bulls fired up 18 in the third frame alone, finishing the night with 51 as they threatened Denver with an upset that would’ve been mutually self-destructive.
With Chicago’s series of trades, the front office led by former Nuggets executive Arturas Karnisovas signaled its intent to tank the rest of this season and begin rebuilding. Among coach David Adelman’s realizations while trying to game-plan Saturday was that “Sexton is on the Bulls now?” Collin Sexton had been traded from Charlotte.
“We lost the Knicks game, and the first thing I thought about, just because the next game was Chicago was, ‘I have no idea who’s on their team’ at that point,” Adelman said. “… That day after, I did take a couple hours to go, OK, where is everybody? There were so many traded, not just in Chicago. But obviously here, tons of them. So today’s preparation was interesting, because you’re just guessing who’s gonna start. We just kind of went off who was there the prior game, with the full knowledge that these other guys are very high-level NBA players, and they could start as well.”
Cam Johnson returned from a bone bruise in his left knee for Denver and scored 14 points in a solid 6-for-9 shooting performance.
But the most resonant trend of the season continued to be true at United Center. For every Nuggets player that returns from an injury, another walks off. Murray appeared to be in general discomfort before he went to the locker room with four minutes remaining. The good news for Denver, this time, was that Murray returned to the bench by the final buzzer.
Adelman said it was a hip issue. In the locker room, Murray said he wasn’t concerned about it anymore.
Denver, CO
Denver officers cited for separate incidents, 1 fired
DENVER (KDVR) — Two officers, one now formerly of the Denver Police Department, face multiple charges relating to separate incidents in the past two months.
According to a release, now-former Denver Police Officer Gabriel Lucero was issued a citation for third-degree assault, official misconduct and false reporting, while Officer Javon Leach was cited for reckless driving and eluding.
The incident involving Lucero reportedly occurred on May 22 just before 1 a.m. in the 500 block of 16th Street. According to a release, Lucero was involved in an assault at a business, as he allegedly assaulted a person and walked away as others continued to assault the victim.
Security guards and an off-duty officer escorted him and the group out; however, Lucero reportedly identified himself as a Denver police officer and attempted to re-enter by using his police badge.
Lucero reportedly provided a false name without any other information, and further investigation verified Lucero as the person involved. Lucero was hired in 2025 and, due to his current probationary status, was fired as of Wednesday.
The incident involving Leach occurred around 1:41 a.m. on June 21, when Leach was reportedly pulling out of a parking lot on Larimer Street, attempting to drive against traffic.
Leach reportedly refused commands to stop as he left the area. Officials said he was found just seven minutes later, traveling at high speeds northbound on Park Avenue West.
He reportedly fled a traffic stop and continued to drive away, and officials deemed Leach to be the suspect following an investigation. He was placed in an off-line assignment while the case progresses, as they are considered misdemeanors.
“The Denver Police Department’s administrative review of Leach’s incident will begin once the criminal case is adjudicated, and that process includes the Denver Department of Safety and the Office of the Independent Monitor, a civilian oversight agency,” the release said.
Denver, CO
Peyton Watson landing spots: Could Nuggets star actually leave Denver?
Denver Nuggets standout forward Peyton Watson could find himself on another team before you know it.
With the Nuggets reportedly open to a sign-and-trade of Watson, could Denver really lose a core piece to their rotation?
It’s hard to imagine many teams being able to shoulder the financial weight of a Watson contract at this point because of the aprons and such, but he’s absolutely an asset to any contending team.
We’ve gone through and identified a few teams that make sense for Watson in the fall… including the one he’s already on at the moment. Hey, he might stay home, you never know!
The Clippers have been linked to Watson as a possible destination; he could help them immensely.
The Pistons have also been linked to Watson, which would help them a lot to contend for an NBA title.
Look, HYPOTHETICALLY, the Nets could move around some cap space with some player trades and such and get a deal done. They are one of the only teams in the NBA right now not in the negative with cap space.
The Grizzlies are the team with the least amount of negative cap space right now, per Spotrac. If they really wanted to pull off a Watson sign-and-trade… it would be hypothetically possible from a money standpoint.
Denver Nuggts
Look, it’s very possible Watson just stays in Denver on a brand-new deal. Who knows at this point?
Denver, CO
City of Denver says images of piling waste a case of illegal dumping
DENVER (KDVR) – A Denver Park Hill Resident says trash in her alley hasn’t been picked up by city-run waste collection in more than 2 months.
“It’s starting to be frustrating because that pile has been there 2.5 months, and I’m not kidding about that,” Andrea Sanders-Childs said.
A spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) says they did receive a call about the address on Krameria in mid-June and are investigating the case as ‘illegal dumping’ versus ‘missed collection.’
The DOTI spokesperson says more information will be available when the inspector assigned to the area returns on Wednesday.
Sanders-Childs said that the people who live in the home closest to the mess had actually rented a dumpster; however, it was eventually picked up and towed away.
In the meantime, for Denver residents, DOTI provided FOX31 with the following reminders:
- Carts that are overfilled, stuffed or too heavy cannot be emptied
- All trash must be inside the cart, and overflow trash cannot be collected
- To report illegal dumping, call 311
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