Denver, CO
Nuggets coach Michael Malone expects NBA to investigate 76ers after Joel Embiid last-second scratch in Denver
As the Nuggets finished warming up, not all of them knew yet. In their minds, they were minutes away from their rematch with the defending MVP.
“I was trying to grab guys individually,” coach Michael Malone said, his goal being to encourage them one at a time: “Hey man, no letdowns.” He was afraid that Joel Embiid’s last-second scratch could soften his team’s mental edge.
“And Aaron Gordon was like, ‘What are you talking about?’” Malone recalled after his fears came true but the Nuggets escaped with a 111-105 win anyway.
“I said, Embiid’s not playing. So like, our players didn’t know. They’re out on the court warming up.”
Malone expects the NBA will investigate the 76ers for Embiid’s abrupt absence from the ABC-televised game Saturday afternoon at Ball Arena. The league instituted its new Player Participation Policy before this season, placing guardrails on load management of “star players.” One rule within the PPP requires teams to ensure their healthy star players are available for all national television broadcasts. Players who have been an All-Star or All-NBA selection in the last three years are considered stars.
Embiid was not mentioned at all on Philadelphia’s pregame injury report, even as probable or questionable, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported shortly before opening tip that the 76ers center was out due to knee soreness. Malone joked that “Woj called me” when asked when and how he found out.
“I don’t know how you go from being active, available, to out. And I’m sure the league will do their due diligence, because that’s frowned upon,” the ninth-year Nuggets coach said. “And we’ve had situations this year where we talked to the league, and they told us if a player goes from being active to out, there’s going to be an investigation. So I’m sure that’ll happen. And I’m sure that Joel, he hurt his knee in the Indiana game. Like, that’s real. … I’m sure he is hurt.”
The PPP also outlines a preference for any star player’s one-game absences to occur in home games rather than road games, when opposing fans often purchase tickets to see said player.
Embiid has now missed four consecutive road games against the Nuggets. Among all NBA players who have appeared in at least one game this season, Embiid has gone the longest since his last game in Denver (Nov. 8, 2019). The Nuggets and Sixers will not face off again this season unless they both reach the NBA Finals.
“We were looking forward to our guys going against their guys,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “So definitely, it was a little bit of a letdown to hear so late.”
Malone’s focus after the win was on crediting the shorthanded 76ers for giving the full-strength Nuggets such a competitive nail-biter, with Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris also out. When asked about the disappointment of learning Embiid’s status so late, Malone chose not to criticize Denver’s opponent.
“Nick Nurse coaches the Philadelphia 76ers. I have no idea what’s going on in their locker room,” he said. “I used to work for a guy, (former coach) Don Chaney. And one of the opposing teams was making comments about our team, and Don said, ‘Well, he’s got my vote for Coach of the Year because he can coach his team and my team.’ I’m not gonna do that. Yes, it was a big letdown for the national TV audience not to get Nikola-Embiid. But I just want our guys to play well. So the two positives today: We won, and nobody got hurt.”
Jokic, who spearheaded the Nuggets with 26 points and 16 rebounds, said he didn’t personally feel let down by the last-second development. He emphasized that more attention should be lent to Philadelphia backup center Paul Reed, who led all scorers with 30 points.
“I think Paul Reed played really good for them, and we need to give him credit,” Jokic said. “… I think he needs to deserve, in this moment, more time than Joel.”
The matchup between Denver and Philly was marketed by the NBA and ESPN as a “rivalry week” showdown between two centers who have combined to win the last three MVPs and are competing for the next one. Embiid leads the NBA in scoring with more than 36 PPG, but after his latest absence in Denver, he can only miss six more games this regular season before losing his eligibility for end-of-year awards including MVP. This is the first season in which players are required to play 20 or more minutes in at least 65 games in order to be eligible.
Jokic and Malone both rejected the idea that Jokic vs. Embiid or Denver vs. Philadelphia is a legitimate rivalry.
“To be honest, media made the rivalry,” Jokic said. “I have nothing against him, and I think he’s a great player. … Even if you’re a basketball, soccer, horse-racing fan, Denver Nuggets fan, Philadelphia fan, whoever — enemies — I think you need to respect what he is doing.”
“No disrespect to what (the NBA is) trying to create, but I don’t feel it’s a rivalry personally,” Malone said regarding the teams. “They’re in the East. We’re in the West. We play them twice a year. We’ve yet to play them in the playoffs, obviously the NBA Finals. But I think rivalry week, they’re trying to create something between Joel and Nikola, and I get that.”
Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.
Denver, CO
Claimed by Christ, Free in Him: Archbishop Golka Celebrates First Juneteenth Mass in Denver
The annual archdiocesan celebration highlighted human dignity, Black Catholic faith and the healing power of Christ’s love.
“This is my first Juneteenth celebration as a priest or a bishop. I’m honored that this could be my first, right here,” Denver Archbishop James Golka said during the Mass commemorating Juneteenth at Curé d’Ars Parish in Denver on Sunday, June 14.
Celebrating the day the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States. This year’s annual archdiocesan Mass, organized by the Office of Black Catholic Ministry and bringing together parishes and groups from across Northern Colorado, also served to welcome the recently arrived archbishop, who was warmly greeted with processions by the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, liturgical participation by the Curé d’Ars youth group and choir, and additional music by the Queen of Peace African Catholic Society.
“You have a very beautiful church here. The building is okay, also,” Archbishop Golka remarked, noting the beauty of the people of God, the Church, amid laughter and applause.
Carolyne Richardson, member of the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary at St. Ignatius of Loyola, was particularly touched by Golka’s quiet enthusiasm.
“The church was overflowing with diverse ethnicities joining in this celebration. Everyone was elated to meet Archbishop Golka. He seemed to look each parishioner in the eye with genuine care and concern,” she noted. “It was sheer jubilation watching him sing the gospel songs along with the choir.”
Recalling his time with fellow bishops at their annual spring meeting in Florida, the archbishop reflected on Pope Leo’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, and its discussion on the reality of slavery.
“Although there was not always consistency in practice — slavery was long tolerated before being unequivocally condemned — there has been a continuous affirmation throughout history of the dignity of every human being created in the image of God, even if it took eighteen centuries for the full incompatibility with slavery to be explicitly recognized,” the Holy Father wrote. “This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one for which we cannot consider ourselves detached. It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord” (Magnifica Humanitas 176).
“Finally, Pope Leo says this to you, to all of us,” the archbishop noted as he finished quoting the Holy Father’s encyclical. “‘For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
(Photos by Matt Walker/Denver Catholic)
In his characteristically deeply pastoral way, Archbishop Golka offered the deep, personal love of Christ as a spiritual foundation and antidote to any and all attacks against humanity, be they in the form of slavery or the lurking dangers of artificial intelligence.
“At your Baptism, you were claimed by Jesus Christ. That’s our identity. The evil one tries to make us forget that. We forget that we are beloved children of God. We begin to think that maybe we are worthless, that there’s no reason why we’re here. That is a lie,” the archbishop emphasized. “When God created the universe, he had you in mind, to be here at this time, and this place for his purposes. And he wants to use you in everything. That means, he can use your weakness and your mistakes if you let him.”
The call to surrender more completely to the Lord of love, whose Sacred Heart burns in love for souls, resonated deeply with those in attendance.
“The Mass was more beautiful than I could have imagined,” said Kateri Williams, director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry. “Archbishop Golka’s homily deeply touched those in attendance, and many were moved to tears as he spoke of the Father’s unconditional love and as he reminded us that each of us has a unique purpose and calling in God’s plan.”
Osahon “Osi” Ogbeide, one of several members of the Youth Ministry at Curé d’Ars who read the Prayers of the Faithful, was also taken by the seeming contradiction in Archbishop Golka’s homily.
“The homily focusing on being a slave and surrendering to the lord was very impactful because it reminded me that God wants the best for us. And that can only be achieved in surrendering to him,” he said.
As we continue to surrender to God and follow his plan, even when it surprises and confounds us, we participate in the Kingdom of God, the archbishop concluded.
“God’s purposes are much more immense than my plan. My plan is pretty puny,” Archbishop Golka said. “God’s purposes began with creation, and they’re going to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Reign of God. We get to participate in the Reign of God coming, if you use God’s gifts for God and God’s purposes.”
Factors such as declining birth rates and families moving out of the city are contributing to declining enrollment at Denver Public Schools. In turn, it’s reshaping the district’s future.
“I think we’re in a good position, but it’s responsible for us to always be looking in the future and knowing we have to make some adjustments,” said Chuck Carpenter, the district’s CFO.
In a two-year span between this past school year and next, DPS expects a decline in enrollment of around 1,700 students.
“We haven’t really seen anything like this,” said Carpenter in response to the consistent decline.
Because of this trend, the district is facing a $28 million structural deficit over the next five years.
“We have a balanced budget now, and we’re not predicting that we’ll have an unbalanced budget in three years,” said Carpenter. “We’re saying we need to make adjustments over the next three, four years, so that our budgets are balanced.”
DPS’s Director of Campus Planning, Andrew Huber, told CBS Colorado in an interview last month that those adjustments will likely include closing down more schools.
“Additional school closures will be necessary in the upcoming years. When exactly that would be is hard to forecast right now,” said Huber.
The district’s CFO says his biggest takeaway from a recent round of closures is to make sure to give families options for what’s next.
“No one wants their school closed, but the second-best option isn’t going to be the same for every family,” said Carpenter.
This issue could be one Denver faces for years to come.
“We sort of say, how many kids are born here? Because in five years, those kids will be kindergartners,” Carpenter added.
The city’s birth rate peaked in 2005, meaning those babies have already graduated high school. And, according to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, more young families move out of Denver and into surrounding counties than move into the city.
“I think school consolidation is very — I understand why people want to talk about it, but I think it’s more about, like, how do we make sure that the programs that are offered are rich programs,” said Carpenter.
Carpenter also says the district is closely monitoring some potential cuts to federal grants for students of poverty and language learners. He says those decisions will be made by October for the start of the new fiscal year, and cuts would have a “terrible” impact.
The Denver Broncos hosted eight tryout players at mandatory minicamp this week, including quarterback Sawyer Robertson. It sounds like the team has made decisions on those tryout players, and Robertson won’t be signed (at least not right now).
Instead, the Broncos are signing offensive lineman Reid Holskey (according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) and cornerback Blake Cotton (according to the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel). Holskey (6-6, 306 pounds) spent time on the Houston Texans’ practice squad in 2025 before joining the New York Giants in January. He was cut by New York last month. Cotton (6-2, 195 pounds) is a rookie who spent last fall at Utah, totaling 30 tackles and seven pass breakups in 13 games.
The two moves came one day after Denver wrapped up minicamp. The 91-man offseason roster was already full, so the Broncos will need to make corresponding moves to make room for Holskey and Cotton on the roster.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
-
Technology45 seconds agoNASA selects Eric Schmidt’s rocket company for a 2028 mission to Mars
-
World8 minutes agoBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces potential leadership challenge from newly-elected Andy Burnham
-
Politics11 minutes agoReporter’s Notebook: How Trump’s surprise move on DNI confirmation upended key Senate deal on FISA
-
Health23 minutes agoWeight-loss drugs linked to ‘Ozempic ears’ and other cosmetic complaints, surgeons say
-
Sports26 minutes agoFlorida AG launches civil rights investigation into MLB’s warning to Christian pitchers over Pride Night caps
-
Technology31 minutes agoFox News AI Newsletter: Bezos predicts labor shortage
-
Business38 minutes agoLandmark downtown apartment tower faces foreclosure
-
Entertainment41 minutes agoBob Dylan is absolutely cooking on the road right now
