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Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn’t watch any of All-Star weekend, “and I’m glad I didn’t”

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Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn’t watch any of All-Star weekend, “and I’m glad I didn’t”


All-Star weekend wasn’t exactly must-see television for the defending champion team that was thinly represented in Indianapolis.

Not that it was appointment viewing for anyone else, either.

“I didn’t spend one minute watching anything from the All-Star weekend,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, “and I’m glad I didn’t.”

The Nuggets (36-19) reconvened for their first practice Tuesday night to gear up for the last third of the season after a long weekend, but Nikola Jokic — their only rotation player named an All-Star — was given the evening off. On Sunday night, he contributed 13 points and nine assists in a 211-186 loss for the Western Conference.

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He also was one of only two players with multiple steals in a game devoid of defense; the Eastern Conference All-Stars were the first team to break the 200-point barrier in NBA history, illuminating the ongoing lack effort and competitiveness in what is supposed to be the league’s marquee mid-season event. Malone wasn’t in a position to make educated comments about the issue based on this year’s game, but he’s plenty familiar with the topic after coaching the West in 2023.

“Probably more of the same,” said Malone, who said he enjoyed his break watching his daughter play volleyball in Kansas City. “I know the league is doing everything they can to try and make it more of a competitive game, and that wasn’t the case. So I don’t know what the league can do. You can’t force players to play hard. You can’t force players to care. And I think a lot of the players, in their defense … you also worry about injuries. Your No. 1 duty and obligation is to your team, so I’m not sure. Maybe they should do it like the Pro Bowl. Have an All-Star weekend after the season’s over, and everyone can go there and have fun. There’s nothing competitive about it.”

“I know the fans want to see a really competitive game, but dudes aren’t robots,” said Michael Porter Jr., who said he watched a little bit of the game. “They want to relax and have a little break going into the stretch. … Yeah, but it is kinda tough to watch sometimes.”

Even players such as Aaron Gordon, whose past slam-dunk contest appearances are the stuff of legend, sat out the Saturday slate of events, according to Peyton Watson, who was spending time with Gordon in Aspen. Gordon tweeted after a controversially judged series of dunks that “I probably could’ve got second in this year’s dunk contest,” but that wasn’t to be mistaken with him having eyes glued to the TV.

“We had bigger fish to fry,” Watson said. “We were out in Aspen having snowball fights.”

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Injury update as Nuggets return

Nuggets guards Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who were out with injuries going into the break, both went through practice Tuesday. Malone said the team’s goal is for everyone to be healthy and available Thursday when the Nuggets host the Washington Wizards in the first game out of the break.

“They look good, and hopefully they feel good enough tomorrow to where we can keep building and having them back in the lineup,” Malone said. “Because obviously we know we’re a much better team when they’re available.”

Murray has been dealing with bilateral tibia inflammation, which caused him to miss the second half of Denver’s loss in Milwaukee and the entirety of the next game against Sacramento. Caldwell-Pope has been dealing with right hamstring tightness dating back a couple of weeks.

“Quick turnaround tomorrow morning for practice, but hopefully they’ll be able to go tomorrow,” Malone said. “And then we can take it on a game-by-game basis.”



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Denver, CO

Denver officers cited for separate incidents, 1 fired

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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.

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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.

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Peyton Watson landing spots: Could Nuggets star actually leave Denver?

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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!

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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?

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City of Denver says images of piling waste a case of illegal dumping

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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.

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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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