Denver, CO

Steve Kerr sounds off on officiating after Warriors’ Christmas loss to Denver Nuggets

Published

1 year ago

December 25, 2023

Steve Kerr sounds off on officiating after Warriors’ Christmas loss to Denver Nuggets

DENVER — There is no pride in a moral victory or much solace to take when it seems referees take game into their own hands.

But the Warriors were OK with the way they played in a 120-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Christmas afternoon. Mostly, the Warriors’ post-game locker room was abuzz with criticism over the way this game was officiated. The Nuggets took 32 free throws to the Warriors’ 23, but the true turning point was Nikola Jokic’s 14 second-half free throws swung a spirited game into a foul frenzy. The Nuggets quickly landed in the bonus in the final frame, and Jokic didn’t have to feel much contact to get a trip to the line.

Coach Steve Kerr went beyond blaming Monday’s grew of Courtney Kirkland, Tre Maddox and Michael Smith, instead pointing a finger at the rigidity of the rules they’re trained to follow. On Christmas day, those tuning in to a close game between the last two NBA champions got the gift of whistles on whistles.

“If I were a fan, I wouldn’t have wanted to watch the second half of that game, it was disgusting,” Kerr said. “It was just baiting refs into calls, but the refs have to make those calls because that’s how they’re taught.

“I have a real problem with the way we’ve legislated defense out of the game in this league. Players are really smart in this league and for over the last decade they’ve gotten smarter. We have enabled them and they are taking full advantage. It’s a parade to the free throw line.”

Foul trouble watch altered some of the Warriors rotations and kept key players off the floor. Trayce Jackson-Davis sat out most of the fourth quarter with five fouls. Andrew Wiggins — the player of the game with a team-high 22 points following a two-game absence — had five, too. Steph Curry had four fouls and Kevon Looney finished with three.

Curry had an off day, scoring 18 points on 7-for-21 from the field with one free throw taken. Jokic was having an off night, going 1-for-5 from the field in the first half, until he started paving a path to the free throw line. Curry was asked if a punitive whistle takes defense out of the game.

“It does cater to the guys that can sell calls,” Curry said. “This physicality, it’s tough because it’s inconsistent at times on either side…A night like tonight, you feel like there’s physicality on one side and tick-tack on the other and then they get into the bonus and it changes the complexity of the game. It’s not like we don’t foul, not saying that. It’s just inconsistent.”

The Warriors’ loss snapped a five-game winning streak, but can keep pulling at some positive threads after this loss. They went toe-to-toe with the defending champions playing at near full strength with Curry and Klay Thompson struggling and Draymond Green serving his indefinite suspension. Golden State’s bench was the star and overshadowed the Nuggets’ young and vulnerable counterpart.

Brandin Podziemski, the starter, had a season-high five steals, nine rebounds, six assists and 13 points. Chris Paul was a plus-13 with 13 points and four assists.

“We played well enough despite how I shot the ball,” Curry said. “We got a chance to win, so those are tough ones to swallow when you didn’t play as well as you could have or as efficient as you could have defensively…Our second unit was phenomenal again tonight, but couldn’t open the game up because the game was slowed down.”

This was no Christmas Day special; the Warriors have a storied, toxic bond with foul trouble. The Los Angeles Lakers used their size advantage to bury them in free throws during the Western Conference Semifinals last year and it’s been a recurring issue through bad stretches this year. Golden State runs smaller than the rest, which means defensive intensity can often turn into overcompensation and a whistle.

The Warriors have a seven-game home stand coming up, returning to play the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic first. Kerr and the rest bristled at this loss falling out of their control, a bump in the Warriors turning a corner at last.

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Denver, CO

Colorado weather: Colder temperatures still to come, snow returns Sunday to Denver

Published

3 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

Colorado weather: Colder temperatures still to come, snow returns Sunday to Denver

The Front Range and Eastern Plains saw freezing, below-zero temperatures in the double digits overnight, but the worst of the arctic blast is yet to come.

Park County, southwest of metro Denver, experienced some of the coldest temperatures overnight Saturday, National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Koopmeiners said.

Temperatures fell to minus 33 degrees at Lake George, about 40 miles west of Colorado Springs, and to minus 37 at the nearby Elevenmile Canyon Reservoir, Koopmeiners said. Some areas out east on the plains, including Berthoud, saw overnight lows near minus 19.

Everything you need to know about the polar vortex bringing extreme cold to Colorado

Koopmeiners said temperatures bottomed out around 11 degrees below zero in Denver, but the wind chill made it feel closer to minus 29.

More snow is expected to fall Sunday across the Front Range and Eastern Plains, which Koopmeiners said will keep the worst of the cold at bay.

“The clouds help insulate the area when it snows, so it won’t get as cold and we won’t see some of those negative temperatures,” Koopmeiners said.

Chances for snow will start in Denver around sunset, but snowfall will be more likely to start between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., Koopmeiners said. The city can expect an inch or two of new accumulation before the snow stops around noon Monday.

“It will be a light, dry snow that doesn’t hold a lot of moisture,” Koopmeiners said. “The kind where you shut your car door and all the snow falls off the windows.”

The coldest temperatures of the 4-day arctic blast will come Monday night into Tuesday morning, he said. Wind chill temperatures will hit minus 25 over the Eastern Plains and up to minus 50 in the mountains and mountain valleys.

Denver, alongside most of the Front Range, is under a Cold Weather Advisory until 9 a.m. Tuesday.

“Dangerously cold wind chills as low as 25 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” forecasters said in the advisory.

Metro Denver is forecast to see Monday night temperature lows near minus 9, with wind chills of 25 degrees below zero.

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Originally Published: January 19, 2025 at 10:09 AM MST

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Denver, CO

Denver Animal Shelter anticipates increase in calls as frigid temps put pets at risk

Published

11 hours ago

January 19, 2025

Press Room

Denver Animal Shelter anticipates increase in calls as frigid temps put pets at risk – CBS Colorado

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The Denver Animal Shelter said they anticipate an increase in calls throughout the weekend as temperatures drop dangerously low. With wind chills as low as -20 degrees, the temperatures can be deadly for pets, with the potential for frostbite on exposed skin within 30 minutes.

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Denver, CO

Broncos’ Full Slate of 2025 NFL Draft Picks Revealed

Published

19 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Broncos’ Full Slate of 2025 NFL Draft Picks Revealed

The Denver Broncos overachieved in 2024. They were the sleeper that no one saw coming.

It’s safe to say that NFL opponents won’t be overlooking the Broncos in 2025. This team needs to get better and stronger with a successful offseason haul in both free agency and the NFL draft.

The Broncos have a full complement of draft picks this year. Keep in mind, Denver traded its fifth-round pick this year to the Miami Dolphins as part of the Bradley Chubb deal.

However, the Broncos have three sixth-rounders this year because they swapped their seventh-round pick for a sixth in the Albert Okwuegbunam trade with the Philadelphia Eagles and picked up another sixth in the Baron Browning deal with the Arizona Cardinals.

Denver upgraded its original seventh-rounder for a sixth by parting with Okwuegbunam and added another by trading a player from a position in which the team had a log jam. The Browning trade worked out because it opened the door for Nik Bonitto to turn in an All-Pro season with 13.5 sacks and gave the Broncos another sixth-round draft pick.

On the heels of the NFL solidifying No. 20 as the Broncos’ draft slot this coming spring, here’s a look at the team’s selections, with a little help from prosportstransactions.com and nflmockdraftdatabase.com. Please note, however, that the specific slots of the late-round picks are projections as the compensatory picks have yet to be announced by the NFL.

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What will the Broncos do in the first round? The team’s biggest needs are arguably on the offensive side of the ball, including running back, tight end, and wide receiver, as well as some holes on the defensive line, inside linebacker, and the secondary.

With a projected $48 million in salary-cap space, too, it’ll be interesting to see how it all shakes out. Free agency will take place first, which should allow the Broncos to fill the most immediate roster holes, freeing them up to cultivate a best-player-available philosophy when the draft rolls around.

Keep in mind, the placement of the Broncos’ late-round picks are projected for now. But we at least know that Denver has three sixth-rounders this year, one of which is its original pick, with the other two arriving via trade.

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