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Recap: Nuggets handle Spurs, win easily.

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Recap: Nuggets handle Spurs, win easily.


The Denver Nuggets were in desperate need of a win after returning home from a less than successful road trip. Enter the 3-13 San Antonio Spurs. The Nuggets were met with a challenge from the get go as Aaron Gordon was a late scratch for the game and Justin Holiday started in his place. It ended up not mattering as Nikola Jokic was the big story for Denver. He finishes an assist shy of a monster triple double with thirty-nine points, eleven rebounds and nine assists. Michael Porter Jr. was also fantastic as Denver took a lead early in the first quarter and never looked back. Victor Wembanyama had twenty-two points, eleven rebounds and six steals but battled foul trouble and the Spurs had no answers when he was on the bench. Nuggets win this one going away, 132-120.

Wembanyama scored the first seven points of the game for the Spurs in a game that was slow on the offensive end to start. Porter Jr. did what he could for the Nuggets offense as they were definitely cautious to test Wemby’s length. Denver started to find some rhythm on offense and interestingly it was from their non-Jokic starters. They forced turnovers for easy buckets and built a lead that got to nine at the halfway point of the quarter. The Spurs got some threes to keep Denver from growing a big lead but the ball was moving on the Nuggets side and they were knocking down shots. Jokic orchestrated the offense but Denver let San Antonio stay in the game with some turnovers and mediocre three point defense. Devin Vassell In particular took advantage from deep. DeAndre Jordan checked into the game to give Jokic a rest with the Nuggets up seven and his first shot was an airballed free throw. Porter played a great first quarter and set the tone for the bench unit to close it out. Denver kept in front but once again couldn’t pull away. After one they led 39-35.

Porter opened the second quarter with a nifty dribble pull-up three and Julian Strawther got a steal and drew a second foul on Wembanyama. Popovich successfully challenged the foul though and it was overturned. That worked out well for San Antonio as Wemby was causing problems on both ends of the court for Denver. Luckily, Peyton Watson was aggressive to the rim and got the second foul on Wembanyama shortly thereafter forcing him to check out. Jordan took advantage of the lack of size inside for San Antonio and led a run for Denver. A Strawther three pushed Denver’s lead into double digits with just over half the quarter left to play. After that Jokic was back in and he went to work overpowering Zach Collins and Charles Bassey. The lead ballooned to eighteen and San Antonio took a timeout. Wembanyama came back in and forced a couple turnovers to stop the bleeding for teh Spurs. They got on a run with the quarter winding down and pushed Denver’s lead down to thirteen when Wemby finished a ridiculous alley-oop with twenty-five seconds to go. Jokic beat him in the post to close out the half and Denver lead 72-60.

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San Antonio started the third quarter strong and quickly got Denver’s lead back into single digits with Wembanyama once again wreaking havoc on both ends of the court. Denver responded, Reggie Jackson got hot and he lead a run to make sure Denver stayed in front and push the lead into double digits again. The Spurs went cold while Denver kept cooking and midway through the quarter the Nuggets lead was nineteen. Jokic ran with the bench group after that and it was good old fashioned Nuggets basketball with cuts, dimes and Jokic doing whatever the team needs. He checked out with the Nuggets leading by over twenty and you wondered if that might end up being it for Joker’s night. The bench played strong to close out the quarter, Strawther went toe to toe on a Wembanyama poster attempt and lived to tell about it. After three the Nuggets were up big, 107-84.

Watson opened the fourth quarter with a monster jam on one end and then a huge block on the other. Porter followed with a pretty and-one but then the Nuggets offense slowed down some. With the offense stalling Jokic checked back in even though Denver led by twenty-four points. He got things going again but San Antonio was also finding some success on offense. The game slowed down and Denver went cold again. San Antonio meanwhile attacked the basket and got some easy ones. Denver’s lead was down to sixteen with just under half the quarter remaining. Denver kept their starters in while San Antonio was in to their bench but the Spurs were still hanging tough and not letting Denver’s lead grow again. They got it down to thirteen with three minutes remaining. Jokic knocked down a floater, KCP hit a couple free throws and Michael Malone emptied the bench. It got a bit interesting with the reserves playing if you were betting on the over/under, but ultimately the Nuggets closed it out 132-120.

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Best matchup: Michael Porter Jr. vs Victor Wembanyama

Nov 26, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) controls the ball as Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) guards in the first quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

With Gordon out, guarding Wembanyama fell mostly on the shoulders of Porter Jr. and you couldn’t have asked for much more from him on that end. Wemby ends up with twenty-two points but there’s only so much anyone can do against a guy of his size and talent. Porter was at least able to make if difficult for him to rise up and shoot and he also played a role in getting Wemby into foul trouble. On the other end it was one of Mike’s best performances of the year. He carried the load of being the bench stagger starter with Gordon out and the Nuggets got their best night from the reserve group in a long time. Mike shot it well from three (3 for 7) and had a very efficient night scoring the ball on his way to a twenty-five point, seven rebound game.

The bench unit didn’t see too much change

Once again with Gordon out, the changes Michael Malone alluded to after last game didn’t really take place at first. Holiday started so the bench group more or less stayed the same. However, Zeke Nnaji picked up two quick fouls and didn’t see the court for the rest of the night. In his place Jordan played a good game. Six points and six boards in twelve minutes is about as perfect of a DeAndre game as you can hope for and he was also helpful in battling Wemby’s length. Time will tell if DJ is going to start seeing minutes over Zeke on a regular basis but for tonight at least that move paid off. You also have to wonder what happens with Watson once Gordon gets healthy. With Holiday starting it may mean he’s jumped ahead of Peyton in the rotation and once Gordon is back one of those two guys is probably not getting mintues despite both having strong games tonight.

AG’s injury cancels the thing to bet

We were hoping for a Gordon block tonight on our thing to bet but it was cancelled with his late scratch. Gordon is battling a heel strain and that may be at least some of the explanation as to why he had such a poor performance in Denver’s previous game. Hopefully he can get back soon. Holiday and Watson did a good job tonight in the four spot but as we’ve seen with Jamal Murray’s injury losing a starter and testing Denver’s depth is dangerous territory.

 





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Denver, CO

Stats Rundown: 5 numbers to know from the Mavericks’ gutsy 123-120 win at the Denver Nuggets

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Stats Rundown: 5 numbers to know from the Mavericks’ gutsy 123-120 win at the Denver Nuggets


The Dallas Mavericks (9-7) showed a little backbone in crunch time on Friday, gutting out a 123-120 win over the Denver Nuggets (8-6) at Ball Arena. Sure, the Mavericks coughed up a 24-point lead in the process, but they didn’t fold, even without Luka Dončić, who missed the game with a wrist sprain.

Dereck Lively II blocked two big shots in the game’s final two minutes to help P.J. Washington key a late 9-0 Mavs run to preserve the win. Naji Marshall led seven Mavericks scoring in double figures with 26 points in the win, but Washington was huge down the stretch as well and ended the night with 22 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in the loss.

Here are five stats that tell the tale of what went down in Denver on Friday night.

7-of-9: Quentin Grimes’ and P.J. Washington’s shooting start

Playing without the safety net that is Dončić, the scoring was going to have to come from somewhere for the Mavericks. As they’ve done a couple of times before this season, the Mavs force-fed Washington in the post early in the first. He made his first three shot attempts on two post-up opportunities against smaller Denver defenders and a mid-range banker that gave the Mavs an early 9-3 advantage just two and a half minutes in. Quentin Grimes took Dončić’s spot in the starting lineup and promptly hit his first two 3-point attempts to apply a little early pressure on Denver’s home floor.

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Kyrie Irving found Grimes streaking in transition for an easy dunk that put Dallas up 18-9 with just under seven minutes left in the first. Grimes hit his fourth straight shot attempt to start the game less than two minutes later, a mid-range jumper with a hand in his face that kept the Mavericks in front, 22-15 at the time.

Grimes led all scorers with 10 points in the first, but Denver chipped away at the lead in the last four minutes of the frame, and Dallas led 33-31 after one.

15-2: Mavs’ late second-quarter run

Irving and Naji Marshall ignited a 15-2 Mavericks run as the second quarter wound down to give Dallas a little breathing room before halftime. Jokic scored underneath after rebounding his own miss over Lively to pull the Nuggets to within 47-44 midway through the second, but Irving and Marshall combined to score 17 of the game’s next 20 points as the Mavs built their lead to as large as 19 points. Irving’s drive through the lane with 2:19 left in the first half gave the Mavericks a 63-46 lead. Marshall kept Dallas’ momentum rolling about a minute later with a tough drive in transition through several Denver defenders to give the Mavs a 67-49 advantage.

Irving and Marshall scored 15 apiece in the first half, while Jokic led all scorers with 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds for the Nuggets. The Mavs went off for 40 in the second quarter and led 73-53 at the break. The second quarter was the second time Dallas has scored 40 or more in a quarter this season.

13-of-15: Dallas’ first-half shooting in the restricted area

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Kyrie Irving #11 and Dereck Lively II #2 of the Dallas Mavericks look on during the game against the Denver Nuggets during the Emirates NBA Cup game on November 22, 2024 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

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Any way you look at it, Dallas was dominant inside in the first half. It would be a very repeatable way to win should the Mavs choose to repeat the effort any time soon. There was a concerted effort on everyone’s part to get to the rim whether in transition or in the halfcourt offense.

The Mavs shot 13-of-15 in the restricted area in the first half at Denver. They outscored the Nuggets 44-20 in the paint in the first half as well. It wasn’t just Lively and Daniel Gafford feasting in the middle, either. Seven of Irving’s 12 first-half shot attempts came at or near the rim. Marshall and Washington got involved, consistently getting shots in the lane if not right at the rim. It was a big part of the reason the Mavericks shot 30-of-49 (61.2%) from the field in the first half.

27-6: Denver’s third-quarter run fueled by Michael Porter Jr.

Dallas held Michael Porter Jr. to just four points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half. Without Aaron Gordon (calf strain) in the lineup, Porter Jr.’s lack of production was no small part of what set Denver back in the first half.

He hit a finger roll in the lane and a step-back in the midrange on back-to-back possessions early in the quarter before driving through the teeth of the Dallas defense for a dunk and following that up with a long 3-pointer the next time down to bring the Nuggets to within 81-69 midway through the third. It all stretched into an excruciating 27-6 Nuggets run that brought Denver all the way back to within six, down just 83-77 after Jokic’ leaner in the lane with 3:29 left in the third. Porter Jr. scored 11 on 5-of-6 shooting (2-of-3 from 3-point range) in the quarter, and the Mavs’ led 95-89 heading into the fourth.

26: A career-high scoring night for Naji Marshall

Marshall provided the big bucket the Mavericks needed time and time again down the stretch. He never shied away from the big moment, showing that knack for getting into the lane and scoring on tough leaners. He weaved through the Denver defense and finished with a high banker late in the shot clock with 20 seconds left to play to give the Mavs a 119-115 lead. That basket also gave Marshall a new career-high scoring night with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

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He wasn’t just a threat going to the bucket, either. After missing his last 14 3-point attempts coming into the game, Marshall hit 3-of-4 from distance in the win over the Nuggets. The Dallas bench outscored the Denver bench 57-24 behind Marshall’s 26 in the win.

You can listen to our latest podcast episode in the player embedded below, and to make sure you don’t miss a single one moving forward, subscribe to the Pod Maverick podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Pocketcasts, YouTube, YouTube Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox.

You can check out our After Dark Recap podcasts, YouTube Live recordings, and guest shows on the Pod Maverick Podcast feed. Please subscribe, rate, and review.



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Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver are NWSL expansion finalists, says league commissioner Jessica Berman

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Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver are NWSL expansion finalists, says league commissioner Jessica Berman


On the eve of the NWSL championship in Kansas City, commissioner Jessica Berman addressed a wide range of issues facing the league. She reflected on a historic 2024 season with record viewership after the first year of the league’s new media rights deal and hinted at some of what lies ahead for NWSL expansion.

She also announced a new partnership with the formula company Bobbie, intending to increase the spotlight on parents in the league.

“It’s important for us all to be reminded that this league is really young and our growth is in front of us,” Berman said, after quickly acknowledging the league’s belated birthday. “Although it’s our 12th-year birthday, it’s actually only been the third season that the league has been independent, so imagine the growth that’s in front of us, given how short our runway has been to date.”

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Berman says NWSL’s organizational values will not change under Trump

In her remarks, Berman narrowed the list of potential expansion cities to three — Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver — and shared her thoughts on Caitlin Clark’s participation in the Cincinnati bid. While infrastructure remains a hot topic in the league, Berman remains adamant that top training facilities for teams will “become the norm.”

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Berman’s state of the league address.

NWSL expansion

On Friday, Berman confirmed three finalists in the expansion race to likely join Boston in 2026, following a surprise announcement Thursday night that WNBA star Caitlin Clark had joined the ownership group hoping to bring a team to Cincinnati.

“The process is ongoing, and we’re really enthusiastic about the final three prospects that we have in the process,” Berman said. “We’ll have news to share in the coming weeks as we move to close with one of those three markets.”

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Caitlin Clark joins group looking to bring NWSL team to Cincinnati

The ownership group in Cincinnati has strong ties to Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati, suggesting that an NWSL club in the city would share facilities with the men’s team. The ownership group in Cleveland, meanwhile, has plans to build a new stadium for an NWSL team to share with an MLS Next club in the city’s downtown.

When asked about Denver, Berman kept its proposals under wraps.

“Not a lot of details to share here,” Berman said. “We’re just excited about being at the stage of the process where we are, particularly given all the interest leading up to this point.”

Berman also made clear that going beyond 16 teams is not off the table.

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“As we think about the geographic footprint of our country, we know that a 14-team league is not where we will end up. All of the men’s leagues are 30-plus teams for a reason,” she said. “In order to build the kind of national exposure and visibility and media deals that we think this league deserves, and our fans deserve, we know we need to be in more markets.”

NWSL youth development

Amid NWSL expansion, and with the elimination of the NWSL college draft earlier this year, conversations have been ongoing about how teams can better develop players.

Unlike MLS, the NWSL has yet to establish an academy system to develop players or better identify talent, even as younger players become professionals following the league’s establishment of the Under-18 Entry Mechanism.

“I think what you’ll see in the NWSL beginning as soon as 2025 is a stake in the ground around the pathway to pro and an iterative process year over year where we’ll be really intentional about the place in the ecosystem where our investment will make the biggest impact,” Berman said. “It may or may not look exactly the same in every market, and it may or may not look exactly the way it has been done in the men’s game.”

On Tuesday, U.S. Soccer announced that Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang was donating $30 million to the federation for women’s soccer. The funds, distributed over the next five years, will go toward women’s youth national team camps, talent identification and scouting, and female coach and referee education and mentorship.

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“One of the things that we think is really important as we’re building this league, and have the benefit of doing that in 2024, is that we can learn from the past and make sure, again, when we think about resources, that we’re investing our resources in the places that will have the biggest impact and make the biggest difference,” Berman said.

“I sit on the board of U.S. Soccer. They’re going to be doing a lot in the youth space. … We’re going to work really hard to ensure that we’re working in lockstep with U.S. Soccer, making sure to complement and not compete in any places.”

Last month, five former Wave employees filed a lawsuit against the club in the San Diego Superior Court, following allegations first raised in July by Brittany Alvarado, a former video and creative manager for the club. She accused San Diego and its president, Jill Ellis, of creating a hostile work environment. Ellis was not named as a defendant in the employees’ lawsuit.

During a limited media availability ahead of the Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham’s semifinal match, Berman said that the club is under relatively new ownership and that she had “a high degree of confidence that the club is going to be healthy and strong.” Berman described Ellis as “an icon in our industry” whose career “speaks for itself” when asked about Ellis’ role in the litigation.

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NWSL commissioner addresses San Diego Wave lawsuit, field conditions

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Jill Ellis is not named as a defendant in the former employees’ lawsuit but was alleged to have created a hostile work environment by Brittany Alvarado. (Ira L. Black / Getty Images)

The commissioner was pressed again about the matter Friday.

“Across our ecosystem, our policies and our procedures are available to everyone, players, technical staff and employees, and through our processes, we investigate and take action on any complaints that are brought to our attention,” Berman said. “We remain committed to ensuring that those policies are enforced and education exists for everyone to make sure that they know that we are here to support them in all ways that they need.”

When asked if she stood by the prior investigation, and whether that cleared the team of any wrongdoing, Berman responded, “The investigations that we’ve done in the past, universally, to the extent there was any misconduct identified, it was actioned.”

Former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry has been in negotiations to acquire the North Carolina Courage. Per Sportico’s September report, Lasry has been seeking a 60 percent stake in the team. Lasry has also recently brought on board former USWNT and NWSL player Lauren Holiday as an advisor for the sports arm of his investment group, Avenue Sports Group.

Lasry is involved in a lawsuit against a former employee, alleging she attempted to blackmail him over harassment claims. That employee has filed her own suit against Lasry, alleging that he sexually harassed her and retaliated professionally against her.

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When asked if there had been any movement in Lasry’s bid to acquire the Courage or what discussions the league is having about the allegations against Lasry, Berman said, “Any new ownership that comes into the league is vetted through our robust process and due diligence, and that would be no different for that circumstance. We don’t have any news to report about that transaction.”

Global growth of club women’s soccer

This season was filled with more competitive international games than ever before, thanks to the formation of tournaments like the Summer Cup between the NWSL and Liga MX Femenil, as well as the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, which is regional clubs’ sole pathway to the Club World Cup in 2026.

“We’re really excited for the beginnings of what we have done together, and we think the future is bright for us to be able to continue working together,” Berman said about the NWSL’s partnership with Liga MX. “We are the foundational drivers of the professional game in this region, and we collectively take that responsibility very seriously. We continue to work closely with them on the ways in which we can continue to build on the momentum that we began this year, which was a first of its kind in the women’s game.”


Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga carries the Summer Cup trophy after winning the final. (Aaron Meullion / Imagn Images)

Berman alluded to even more collaborations with another North American neighbor, saying the NWSL has had “regular conversations” with the Northern Super League, which is set to begin competition in the spring of 2025 in Canada.

“I’ll give a shoutout to (NSL co-founder) Diana Matheson, who’s a former NWSL player, who we support and are excited to see be successful,” Berman said. “It’s not easy to launch a league, so we will be here to make sure that we do everything we can to create the environment that she can create a league that will allow for our entire region to continue to rise as we think about the international game.

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“We have been spending a lot of time with international leagues and really beginning to unpack and understand the ways in which we can collaborate, share best practices and work together and find interesting and innovative ways to engage with each other and grow the global fan base,” Berman said. “We think the introduction of the women’s Club World Cup is going to be a moment that is going to really lift the game internationally, and I think a lot of us are thinking about the ways in which we can lean into that space in the years to come.”

(Top photo: Kylie Graham / Imagn Images)



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Broncos moved to prime-time in NFL's first-ever 'Thursday Night Football' flex

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Broncos moved to prime-time in NFL's first-ever 'Thursday Night Football' flex


For the first time in NFL history, a Sunday afternoon game has been flexed to Thursday Night Football.

The Denver Broncos‘ road game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 has been flexed from Sunday, Dec. 22 to Thursday, Dec. 19, the NFL announced Friday. The original TNF matchup was set to see the Cincinnati Bengals host the Cleveland Browns. That game was moved to an afternoon slot on Dec. 22.

The Broncos previously played on TNF in Week 7 when they went on the road and defeated the New Orleans Saints 33-10. Denver is also scheduled to play on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns in Week 13.

NFL rules prevent a team from being given two TNF away games when the initial schedule is released in the spring, but in-season flexes are allowed. So after playing in New Orleans on a short week earlier this season, the Broncos will play in Los Angeles on a short week later this year.

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It is perhaps less-than-ideal for Denver from a competitive perspective, but it’s a sign that the league views the Broncos as an entertaining team worthy of a national spotlight. That’s quite a change from recent seasons.

Thursday Night Football is available to stream on Prime Video.



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