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Timberwolves Stagger Denver Nuggets With a Game One Haymaker – DNVR Sports

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Timberwolves Stagger Denver Nuggets With a Game One Haymaker – DNVR Sports


Nikola Jokic – C+

We’re used to Jokić controlling the game. At his best, he is not just dominating but dictating, to the point where point totals are almost irrelevant when deciding the best player on the floor. That’s not what happened in Game One. The Wolves got a better start and outclassed the Nuggets in clutch time. Save for a short spell in the second quarter, Jokić was not in control. Frankly, he wasn’t good enough, even if he was the Nuggets’ best player.

Jokić finished with 32 points, but he struggled from the field. He got nine 3s up in the loss and only connected twice. After the game, Jokić said he was comfortable with the shots he took. But he didn’t look comfortable. He missed several shots inside and took a handful of 3s that felt more like concessions than adjustments. This would all be more tenable had the Nuggets gotten the ball popping, but Jokić turned it over seven times in the loss. Rudy Gobert even read and broke up the floater-zone alley-oop to Aaron Gordon. The Wolves were built to stymie this offense and succeeded in the opener.

Jamal Murray – D+

Murray got off to another slow start from the field in the second round. He was laboring out there, clearly affected by his left calf strain, which became most troublesome on defense. It’s one thing for Murray to go cold, but his inability to hang with Mike Conley was most concerning. On the other end, Anthony Edwards guarded Jamal Murray for much of the night, with Jaden McDaniels guarding Michael Porter Jr. instead. Murray sputtered out of the gate while Edwards was scorching hot. The juxtaposition was hard to ignore.

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Murray would eventually find a rhythm on offense. He hit some big-time shots in the second half, but Denver had difficulty getting stops. Murray wasn’t alone in the defensive struggles. Still, his was arguably the most concerning, considering his injury. It won’t magically heal overnight. This is something he’ll have to navigate throughout this run.

Michael Porter Jr. – B+

Porter played with great energy out of the gate, helping keep Denver attached while the Wolves opened the game on a huge run. Murray and Jokić were ineffective initially, so Porter stepped up again. He worked hard on both sides of the ball, finishing with 20 points, four made 3s, three steals, and one block. His production faded in the third quarter. He missed some open looks, and Denver’s top options took the baton. It might have been enough had Denver been more effective on defense, but the defending champions don’t want to be considering hypotheticals. There’s a short runway now to get this thing off the ground.

Aaron Gordon – D

This is going to be a difficult series for Gordon. He’ll either guard up a position with Karl Anthony-Towns or down one for the shifty and explosive Edwards. He’s a great defender who is not particularly well suited for his primary assignments in this round. His inability to shoot and how it affects this matchup is also well-documented. Gobert is remarkably effective as a paint guardian with AG on the floor. The Nuggets got crunched during his minutes.

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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – D+

The Nuggets are seemingly content to endure Edwards’ onslaught if they shut off the other valves of Minnesota’s offense. That’s all good in theory, but Pope still has to go out and fall on the sword. He played hard as ever and found moments to be disruptive, but he can’t guard Ant. Oh, and lest it go unmentioned, the ‘other’ Wolves got theirs anyway. It was too easy for them to score in the second half.

Reggie Jackson – A-

Guess what wasn’t a problem in Game One? The Reggie Jackson minutes! He and MPJ flipped the game on its head in the first quarter. The Wolves opened up the game on an 18-4 run. Jackson took the floor and went to work on, wait for it — defense. He stripped Nickeil Alexander-Walker before feeding Porter for an alley-oop. He also knocked down a step back three. So much went wrong for the Nuggets, but the second unit’s hands are clean.

Christian Braun – A-

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Braun did a good job defending Edwards. He was Denver’s most effective option for at least making life harder on the young superstar. So far, the Nuggets miss Bruce Brown’s offense more than anything. This iteration of the bench can defend. They all finished with a positive plus-minus.

Petyon Watson – C+

Watson grabbed four rebounds in roughly five minutes. His athleticism popped, and his approach was encouraging. The youngest player in the rotation brought the right mentality. He rebounded well, but he finished scoreless. He also air-balled a corner three. The Wolves aren’t worried about that shot, which might be why Watson was essentially cut out of the rotation.

Justin Holiday – B

Denver cruised with Holiday on the floor. He grabbed five rebounds, recorded a steal, and knocked down a three. He was on the wrong end of some Naz Reid brilliance in the fourth quarter, but ultimately, he was a +19 in roughly 16 minutes played.

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Denver, CO

Three people arrested for allegedly vandalizing Craig Hall, DU officials say

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Three people arrested for allegedly vandalizing Craig Hall, DU officials say


DENVER — Three people were arrested Thursday night for allegedly vandalizing a University of Denver building, Campus Safety Chief Michael Bunker said in a letter to the DU community Friday.

The three were caught in the act, Bunker said. Two are DU students. The third took off before Denver police could arrest them but was eventually apprehended.

Bunker said the university is working with the Denver Police Department and “is taking appropriate disciplinary actions.”

Anyone with information about the Craig Hall vandalism is asked to contact Campus Safety at 303-871-2334 or submit an online report. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

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This is the second act of vandalism on the DU campus in four days. A false emergency call was used to distract DU safety officials and Denver police from an “act of significant vandalism” to the engineering and computer science building Sunday night, Bunker said in a letter Monday.


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What Zach Wilson — and Sean Payton — said about his second chance in Denver

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What Zach Wilson — and Sean Payton — said about his second chance in Denver


Zach Wilson hasn’t been in Denver very long, but the quarterback has already earned praise from his new head coach.

In April, Wilson was traded by the New York Jets to the Denver Broncos and what has since become a crowded quarterback room.

The former second overall pick joined returning quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who started the Broncos’ final two games last season after Russell Wilson was benched. Denver then drafted Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in last month’s draft.

What has Sean Payton said about Zach Wilson and Denver’s quarterbacks?

On Thursday, Sean Payton said all three quarterbacks will and have split reps with the starters during OTAs.

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Stidham took the first-team reps on Tuesday, Wilson took them on Wednesday and Nix took them Thursday.

“There’s going to be a time when you read into the reps, I don’t think it’s early in OTAs,” Payton said, according to The Associated Press.

Payton sounded impressed by what he saw from each of his quarterbacks after the end of the first week of OTAs.

“They’re all in a race to learn this system,” he said. “Man, they’re doing well.”

The Broncos’ quarterback room is filled with players looking for a new beginning and the opportunity for a fresh start as an NFL starting quarterback.

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“You know, it’s kind of the orphan group,” Payton said. “They’re all orphan dogs. They come from somewhere. But they’re doing good.”

Zach Wilson can see the logic in his coach’s dog metaphor.

“It’s been three years of tough challenges,” he said. “But in the end that’s what makes you stronger, and you just need somebody to believe in you and believe in yourself.”

What has Zach Wilson said about his trade to the Broncos?

Wilson told reporters Thursday that he misses his former Jets teammates but is looking forward to starting a new chapter of his career with the Broncos.

“You know, obviously, there’s bittersweet moments in everything. I was grateful for my experiences (in New York) and the guys. I miss the guys out there and everything, too. But at the same time, a fresh start is good,” he said, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. “I’m excited to attack a new challenge.”

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He’s also excited to learn from Payton, who was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints for 15 seasons and won a Super Bowl with the Saints prior to becoming the head coach in Denver.

“I loved watching him and Drew (Brees) back in the day and just the efficiency they played with, how consistent it was, how explosive they were as an offense and just taking what the defense gives you,” he told Tomasson. “(I’m) just looking to keep growing and learning every single day from him.”

The Broncos have been looking for their franchise quarterback since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning retired. Manning was the last quarterback to lead Denver to the playoffs, which was the season they went on to win the Super Bowl. He reached out to Wilson upon his trade to Denver, according to The Associated Press.

“I’ve grown up watching him and the way he plays the game, the way he attacks it every single day,” Wilson said of Manning. “He’s a legend out here. So, hopefully I can spend a little time picking his brain.”



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Broncos may have found their starting tight end already

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Broncos may have found their starting tight end already


The Denver Broncos are running through their OTA program and this week the media got their first look at the 2024 Broncos. Ryan Edwards from KOA noted one player had himself a day in third-year tight end Lucas Krull.

The former undrafted free agent who head coach Sean Payton signed to the New Orleans Saints in 2022 seems to be coming into his own with Denver this season. He made a couple of big time catches late last season where he got most of his snaps. His biggest game came against the New England Patriots in Week 15 where he hauled in four passes for 28 yards and touchdown. He finished with eight total receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown last year.

Payton had good things to say after practice yesterday too noting that ‘85’ is a number us fans are going to know in 2024.

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“I thought he’s had a good week,” Payton said of Krull. “I said, ‘If you didn’t notice, everyone in the media was looking down at their rosters to see who [No.] 85 was.’ I said, ‘Someday soon, they’re going to know who 85 is.’ He’s looking sharp.”

This is a very nice development considering the concern everyone has over the return of oft-injured Greg Dulcich. His hamstring issues have plagued his entire career and the Broncos are not messing around with his progression back to the football field this time around.

“He’s close,” Payton said of Dulcich’s return from injury. “He’s had all the work done. We’re encouraged. I think you’ll see him sooner than later, and we want to be smart.”

It seems like Dulcich’s entire time spent on injured reserve has been meeting with experts to help him resolve this nagging issue. Payton confirmed that this rehab is continuing even to this day.

“Well, no,” said Payton. “The trips back and forth [is] relative to checkups. His rehab has gone well. It’s not going to be we don’t see him until training camp.”

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While many fans disparage the situation with Dulcich, I’m feeling a lot more encouraged this time around. If his hamstring gives way again when he returns to the field, then its likely he’ll need to hang ‘em up. However, if that happens it won’t mean that he and the team didn’t do everything they could to give him a chance to make a career in the NFL.

With the glimpses we’ve seen of Dulcich, it is worth the effort. The guy is explosive and could be a major x-factor on the field if he remains healthy. I’m rooting for him.

However, with Krull’s emergence it gives Denver a bit of breathing room knowing they have a capable guy to pair with Dulcich this season. That is something they definitely needed.





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