The Denver Nuggets are trading Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for forward Cameron Johnson, sources told ESPN.

While both players have two years remaining on their contracts, the Nuggets are able to get off Porter’s contract, which has $38.3 million due this coming season and $40.8 million in 2026-27. Johnson will make $21 million this coming season and $23 million the following season.

The trade is also the first big move by the Nuggets’ new front office of Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace. It frees the Nuggets from the luxury tax and expands their ability to utilize most of a $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

The Nuggets followed the move by bringing back free agent Bruce Brown, who agreed to a one-year deal with the team that he helped win an NBA title with in 2023. Brown’s deal is for the veteran’s minimum.

Brown was popular in the Nuggets locker room and played a pivotal role on the championship role on the championship team. He does well alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and Brown averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in 2022-23 with the Nuggets. Last season with the Toronto Raptors and the New Orleans Pelicans, Brown averaged 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds.

Johnson also appears to be a good fit for the Nuggets. The 6-foot-8 forward enjoyed a breakout season in his sixth year in the league, averaging 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 39% shooting from behind the arc with the Nets.

“I’m excited!” Johnson told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “I get an opportunity to compete with some of the league’s best. What more can I ask for?”

Already a solid defender who can space the court, Johnson showed more ability to create shots for himself in Brooklyn this past season, adding a unique dynamic to his profile as a 3-and-D player.

He has struggled with injuries throughout his career, however, and has not exceeded 60 regular-season games since the 2021-22 campaign.

Porter had spent his entire six-year tenure with the Nuggets, averaging 18.2 points and seven rebounds in 77 games for the Nuggets this past season. Porter was a key player during the Nuggets’ title run, and he gives the Nets a career 40% 3-point shooter.

He ends his Nuggets tenure second in franchise history in made 3-pointers with 843, trailing only Murray.

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook is declining his $3.4 million player option for the 2023-26 season, which will make him a free agent on June 30, a source told ESPN.

The 36-year-old former MVP averaged 13.3 points on 44.9% shooting, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 27.9 minutes over 75 games for the Nuggets this season. He started 36 games in his first campaign for Denver, the most for the veteran since 2021-22.

Westbrook underwent surgery on his right hand last month to repair multiple ligament tears, the team announced, though Westbrook stated in his personal newsletter that he was having surgery to fix “two breaks that happened during the season.” He is expected to resume full offseason training this summer following the procedure.

Westbrook has until June 29 to reach a decision about his player option. After the season ended, he told reporters in the Nuggets’ locker room that he hadn’t made up his mind yet, after circling the room to say his potential farewells to each of his teammates. If he’s indeed gone next season, Jalen Pickett is the in-house option to replace him on the depth chart at backup point guard.

The Nuggets could seek another experienced ball-handler in free agency as well. As with most bench players, Westbrook often excelled when sharing the floor with star center Nikola Jokic but struggled when Jokic was off the floor.

The two-time NBA scoring champion boasts career averages of 21.2 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 1,237 games (1,075 starts) with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Nuggets.

He is the career leader in triple-doubles (203) and ranks eighth in NBA history in assists (9,925) and 23rd in points (26,205), but is still seeking his first NBA championship.

The Denver Nuggets have named David Adelman the next head coach after his stint as the interim coach.

Adelman took over for Michael Malone after the championship coach was fired with three games remaining in the regular season. Adelman kept the ship afloat the best he could after the surprising dismissal. The Nuggets won three key games to secure the fourth seed in the Western Conference before leading the Nuggets to a first-round win over the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games.

The Nuggets ended up playing the number one seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, where they pushed MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s team to the limit as the Thunder beat the Nuggets in seven games.

The Nuggets had to deal with some struggles during the series against the Thunder, as Aaron Gordon struggled throughout the series due to battling a hamstring strain throughout the series. The Nuggets’ lack of depth was exposed by the Thunder as they went on to blow the Nuggets out in the final game of the series in a 125-93 loss.

The Nuggets’ three-time MVP Nikola Jokić talked in a press conference about how the team needs to improve its depth.

“We definitely need it,” Jokić said during a press conference. “It seems like the teams that have longer rotations, longer bench, are the ones that are winning.” 

Adelman has been part of the Nuggets since the start of the 2017-2018 season, he first joined the NBA coaching ranks in 2011 under his father, Rick Adelman, who was the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves at the time. Next year will be Adelman’s first season as a full-time head coach in the NBA.

After a devastating 32-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in game seven of the Western Conference semifinals, the Denver Nuggets have some tough decisions to make in the offseason.

Nikola Jokić remains one of the best players in the NBA, averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists in the regular season. His dominant play, with help from core players like Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, has kept the Nuggets in playoff contention despite the firings of general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone.

Despite the success of Jokić and the core players, they have several questions about the depth of the team and whether this roster can win them a championship. 

Injury and consistency concerns plague several of the other pieces in the Nuggets’ rotation. Michael Porter Jr. struggled against the Thunder but played through a shoulder injury. Porter’s lingering injury history and his fit within the rotation at a high price are a concern for the organization. Inconsistent play from players like Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson can’t be relied on. 

“We definitely need it,” Jokić said during a press conference. “It seems like the teams that have longer rotations, longer bench, are the ones that are winning.” 

The Nuggets during their championship run in 2022-2023 had one of the best eight-man rotations in the NBA with current core members like Murray and Gordon, but also had key bench pieces like Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. 

After their championship season, both players left in free agency, which left a hole in the bench that the Nuggets have tried to repair with players like Watson and Zeke Nnaji, but have been unsuccessful. 

These roster moves can’t be answered until the Nuggets hire a new front office. Whether the Nuggets hire someone internally or not is a significant question, as the next leader of the Nuggets’ front office may not believe that the current core is capable of winning championships. As a result, certain players who are viewed as untouchable could be traded.

After the Denver Nuggets cleared house, firing both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, reports came out that Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook was a factor in the decision to fire both.

Disagreements between Malone and Booth about using Westbrook were part of a strenuous relationship. Additionally, reports of Malone’s leniency toward Westbrook were off-putting to many of the team’s players.

During a press conference on Monday, Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke denied any correlation between Westbrook and the firings of both Malone and Booth.

“Russ has been nothing but a positive for our group,” Kroenke said. “Russ was a very spicy ingredient for us to add, and we needed it.”

The Nuggets finished the season at 50-32 and the fourth seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the first game of the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets and Clippers split their regular-season series with two wins apiece.

In a year in which the Western Conference has so many high-quality teams, the Nuggets need to ensure that the noise is gone if they hope to contend for a title.

The Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic revealed that he knew about the firing of former head coach Michael Malone before the decision was public.

“I knew a little bit before everybody,” Jokic said. “We made a decision, it was not a discussion.”

Before interim head coach David Adelman took over, Malone had been the only coach Jokic had in his NBA career.

“It was a 10-year relationship, so it was a heavy day for everybody,” Jokic said. “But I would say it’s part of the business.”

Reports of tension in the front office led to Malone being released, along with Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth. Frustrations were boiling over in the locker room as well. Players were visibly frustrated before, during and after games.

As Michael Porter Jr. finishes up year seven in Denver, all signs point to a long-term stay with the Nuggets.

To avoid the second apron of the salary cap, the Nuggets invested heavily in their star core—Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon—each making at least $22.8 million this season. Only Zeke Nnaji and Dario Saric make more than Russell Westbrook’s $3.3 million veteran minimum salary.

Porter Jr.’s $35.9 million makes him a plausible trade chip if Denver wants to free up cap space, but the Kroenke family isn’t open to the idea of moving him.

“The Kroenkes have a fondness for Porter that stems from deep ties to their shared alma mater: Missouri,” according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. “Sources with knowledge of Denver’s thinking have maintained for some time that they struggled to envision ownership ever approving a deal that would send Porter away from the franchise.”

The Nuggets selected Porter Jr. with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after playing just three games at Missouri because of a back injury. He missed all of his first season before making his debut in 2019.

Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke has strong ties to Missouri, where he grew up and earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the state’s university. His son Josh, now the team’s president, played 122 games for Missouri between 1999 and 2004 and was part of the Tigers’ Elite Eight team in 2002.

The Denver Nuggets cleaned house Tuesday, firing both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth in a shocking move with the playoffs right around the corner.

The Nuggets have named David Adelman, their lead assistant, as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

In 10 seasons as Denver’s head coach, Malone led the team to its first and only championship, finishing with a 471-327 record.

“They’ve lost four games in a row, they’re now in the bottom-half of the league in defensive rating, and so they felt like the signs were there that this season was not going to end well,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on SportsCenter. “They’re getting out ahead of what they felt they were going to do come offseason.”

While Denver’s dismissal of both Malone and Booth comes as a surprise, tensions existed between the two.

“The fabric in what both sides had philosophically, there were some big differences there,” Charania said. “Instead of maybe letting go of one guy and keeping the other, the Nuggets, Josh Kroenke, today let go of both.”

Since the All-Star break, the Nuggets have posted an 11-13 record and are in danger of slipping into the play-in tournament.

The Denver Nuggets made a shocking move on Tuesday, firing Head Coach Michael Malone and General Manager Calvin Booth. These firings came just two years after the Nuggets’ first NBA championship.

Malone is the winningest coach in Denver Nuggets history.

David Adelman will take over as the interim head coach. The Nuggets made this move with just three games left in the regular season and sitting tied for fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

Malone is the third head coach to be fired this season, joining former Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown and former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins. Booth is the first general manager to be fired this season.

Since their firings, reports have arisen of disputes in the front office, especially between Malone and Booth. One of these disagreements was around how to use Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook. Reportedly, Booth was in favor of playing Denver’s younger guards, while Malone insisted on going with Westbrook.

Denver Nuggets Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke referred to his team as “joyless” over the past few games. While likely more factors went into the decision to fire Malone and Booth, this move will hope to push the Nuggets into a more positive direction.

With the firings of Malone and Booth have come questions about the future of the team, more specifically, the future of Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.

Speculation about the three-time MVP award winner’s future and whether he wants to stay in Denver has grown.

For now, the Nuggets will look to end the regular season on a positive note and head into the playoffs with momentum.

The Clippers sent Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz as part of a sign-and-trade deal for Kris Dunn. Last season, Dunn averaged 5.4 points, 3.8 assists and one steal while shooting 36.9 percent from three in 66 games. Utah is expected to buy out Westbrook’s contract so he can join the Denver Nuggets. The nine-time all-star averaged 11.1 points on 45.4 percent shooting in 2023 – he also averaged five rebounds and 4.5 assists coming off the bench.

If he clears waivers, Westbrook will be Jamal Murray’s backup since Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left, trimming guard depth. The former MVP was traded for the fifth time in his career and the second time in the past 18 months that he was shipped back and forth between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. “Russ is an all-time great, and we are fortunate to have him here,” Clippers president of operations Lawerence Frank said. “We look forward to seeing him continue his decorated career.”

The trade ends Westbrook’s stint with both Los Angeles teams as he failed to win a title with either squad. The Lakers acquired the former MVP in August 2021 in effort to form a “big-three” with Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Westbrook never found success in purple and gold, failing to play up to expectations with James and Davis on the court while averaging 17.4 points per game. However, Westbrook’s shooting improved with the Clippers but never played like his former self when Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were on his team, instead serving as a “sixth man.”

The Clippers will be Dunn’s sixth team in nine seasons. “Kris is a relentless point-of-attack defender, a connector on the offensive end and a terrific teammate,” Frank remarked. “He’ll help improve our defense and balance our backcourt.”

It was not supposed to be this way.

The young up-and-coming team taking on the defending champions. A sports-cursed city where everything that can go wrong has gone wrong since the turn of the century. A game seven on the road while trailing by double figures most of the night. All the circumstances pointed to the Timberwolves’ story ending Sunday.

Coming into Sunday night, teams that fell behind by 15 points or more at the half went 0-21.

They are 1-21 now.

Even with Anthony Edwards playing his worst post-season game, Minnesota turned around a 20-point third-quarter deficit into a double-digit lead by the end of the game. Naz Reid played most of the second half off the bench and finished as one of six Minnesota players with double figures. The Timberwolves defense, their calling card for the whole season, suffocated a high-powered Denver offense in the second half to only 37 points as Minnesota flipped the script to meet the Dallas Mavericks in the WCF.

Two different games played out throughout two halves, and in the first one, Denver competed like a team on a mission. Jamal Murray, who started 1-10 in game six, dominated early on. He dropped 13 of his 35 points in the opening 12 minutes and helped secure a five-point lead going into the second quarter. Denver raced out to an 8-0 run over the first three minutes of the frame, leading 32-19. Denver’s defense put Edwards and Co. in a straight jacket the entire half, holding Minnesota to 19 points in both the first and the second as their intensity put Minnesota in a straight jacket for the first half.

It went from bad to worse for Chris Finch’s club as Murray knocked down five straight points in the opening minute of the second half, giving Denver a commanding 58-38 advantage.

With their backs against the wall, Minnesota dug in.

The statistically best defense was worth its weight in gold, as it held Denver to only nine points for the rest of the quarter. Offensively, Minnesota fought its way back into the game with timely threes, making four of its ten long balls in the quarter. Minnesota outscored Denver 28-14 in the third and trailed 67-66.

The teams traded buckets to begin the fourth as five straight possessions ended with points, but Denver could not keep the pace. Nikola Jokic sat only one minute in the second half, and his legs began to wear out. The Nuggets could not keep up defensively and resorted to fouling to slow down the T-Wolves. Minnesota entered the bonus with 7:23 left in the game, and their foul shooting sent them into the next round. They sunk 12 of their 26 made free throws in the fourth and outscored Denver by 12 at the charity stripe for the game.

On the opposite end, Michael Malone could not find an answer for Minnesota’s daunting defense, and the Nuggets crumbled. After a Jokic triple cut their deficit to three, Denver scored only four points for the next four minutes and 41 seconds. By the time the Serbian sunk a free throw, his team trailed 92-83 with 2:05 left in their season. Minnesota took care of business, scoring the rest of their points from free throws or in the paint and completing the improbable and almost impossible comeback 98-90.

Minnesota fell behind in the series 3-2 and trailed the entire first half, but Edwards’ moxy gave the team confidence that Denver could not finish them off. For a 22-year-old to lead his team on the road and never lose faith even while shooting 25% from the floor proves that the next NBA superstar is here.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets need to go back to the drawing board after getting bounced on their home floor. Murray and Jokic did all they could to keep the season alive, combining for 69 of the team’s 90 points. But the rest of the supporting cast let them down. No other player reached double figures, and only one player on the bench played for more than nine minutes. The wear and tear of playing into June last year and facing one of the most physical teams in the playoffs took its toll. For Denver to reach the pinnacle again, they must change their depth over the off-season.

The NBA’s decision to fine Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert for his money-sign gesture during Game 4 of the Minnesota Timberwolves second-round series with the Denver Nuggets has sparked controversy and debate.

The NBA fined Gobert $75,000, a punishment many fans and analysts deemed excessive. Some saw Gobert’s gesture as a harmless expression of frustration in the heat of competition.

But Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, saw it differently. He labeled Gobert’s action “unprofessional” and claimed it “questions the integrity of the league and its game officials.” This stern response reflects the league’s commitment to maintaining a professional and respectful environment on the court.

However, Gobert’s history of run-ins with officials likely influenced the severity of the punishment. This isn’t the first time Gobert has found himself in this situation for his on-court behavior. Earlier in the season, he was slapped with a $100,000 fine for a similar gesture directed at referee Scott Foster. Gobert’s repeat offenses raise questions about his ability to control his emotions and conduct himself appropriately during games.

Gobert remained defiant in response to the fine, brushing off the league’s decision nonchalantly. His dismissive reaction suggests a lack of remorse for his actions, further fueling the perception of him as a player unwilling to learn from past mistakes.

Gobert downplayed the significance of his gesture, attributing it to the game’s intensity. “It’s just emotions. I got to control my emotions,” Gobert told ESPN. While emotions undoubtedly run high during playoff matchups, professional athletes are expected to maintain composure and respect for the game at all times.

The timing of Gobert’s latest fine couldn’t have been worse for the Timberwolves when they were locked in a heated battle with the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals.  

As the playoffs unfold and tensions rise, players like Gobert must prioritize sportsmanship and respect for the game above all else. While passion is an integral part of basketball, it must be channeled in a way that displays the integrity of the sport.

Anthony Edwards does not shy away from the moment.

Even after his team lost three in a row to the defending champions, the 22-year-old called his shot and told the Denver locker room attendants he would see them on Sunday.

He delivered on his promise.

Led by their budding superstar, Minnesota set the court ablaze with a dominating 45-point blowout victory on their home floor. The Timberwolves ran the Nuggets out of the building, going on a 20-0 run in the first quarter and a 24-0 run in the fourth, where they dismantled Michael Malone’s men. Minnesota PG Mike Conley returned from injury after missing game five, and his work as a table setter stabilized a struggling offense coming into Thursday night. When the offense sputtered, Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid and Karl-Anthony Towns obliterated Denver on the glass, combining for 41 rebounds between the three big men; Denver corralled only 43 rebounds as a team.

Although the scoreline ended up in the Timberwolves’ favor, the first three minutes looked rocky. Denver raced out to a 9-2 lead, causing Minnesota to call timeout just three minutes into the game. Whatever they said needs to be bottled up and sold to the general public as Chris Finch’s squad ripped off its first 20-0 run of the game. Minnesota scored however they wanted as they sprayed the ball around the perimeter for wide-open threes or dunked it home down low. 23 of the 31 points Minnesota scored in the first quarter came from a triple, layup or dunk. Edwards dropped in 14 points of his own in the opening 12 minutes as his team led 31-14 at the end of the frame.

Denver responded early in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 11 at 8:32 after Aaron Gordon made three. Still, without consistent offense from Jamal Murray, the Nuggets did not get any closer. The star point guard went 1-9 in the first half, including shooting 0-3 from long range. Without his scoring touch and Denver struggling from beyond the arc, they went 7-36 from deep in the game; the Nuggets mustered only 40 points at the half and trailed by an insurmountable 19 points.

Minnesota did not mess around to start the third and continued to jump all over Denver, outscoring their opponent 17-10 in the first six minutes of the quarter. The lead swelled to 25 entering the fourth, but as Malone waved the white flag and took out his starters with ten minutes left in the game, Minnesota sent a message. The Timberwolves torched the Denver reserves as they ripped off 19 consecutive points before the Nuggets made a free throw. Minnesota swished five deep balls in the fourth as their outside shooting burred Denver. They ended up romping Denver by 45 and carried all the momentum on the road in a game seven.

Minnesota had yet to lose three games straight all season.

Unit Tuesday.

With the series shifting back to Denver and the Nuggets carrying all the momentum after taking games three and four in Minnesota, they put forth a professional performance as they went one step closer to defending their title. Nikola Jokic scored 40 points along with 13 assists as his strong offensive play bewildered the best statistical defense in the NBA over the regular season. Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns did a nice job early in the series against the Serbian, but Jokic played like the MVP last night as he put together his best performance of the playoffs. Four other Nuggets players went for double figures, and the balanced offensive attack led to their first win at home against Minnesota.

Both teams traded jabs at the beginning of the game, as each team knew how pivotal game five was. Minnesota started scorching from deep, shooting 4-5 from three, running stride for stride with Denver. However, the Timberwolves could not keep up that pace from long range, and their offense stagnated in the second. Chris Finch‘s club only mustered 18 points in the ensuing quarter as their points disappeared beyond the arc. The Timberwolves finished shooting 4-21 from three after knocking down four of their first five. Considering Denver does not take many threes, a low-scoring, half-court game fit their style of play, and they felt confident going into halftime with a 50-44 lead.

With the game being played at the Nuggets pace, Jokic took over in the third. He scored 16 points in the quarter and assisted on ten more as Denver dropped a 38-point barrage on the Timberwolves, taking a 14-point lead into the fourth. Minnesota star Anthony Edwards did his best to keep pace, scoring half of his points in the third, but it would not be enough. Edwards finished with just five made shots on the night as he cooled off from his blistering start to the series. He will need to regain his usual form if Minnesota can win two games in a row against the defending champions.

The Timberwolves did not quit to start the final frame and cut the lead to ten after a Naz Reid dunk with nine minutes to go, pressuring the Nuggets to call timeout.

Denver threw their knockout punch right after.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s back-to-back threes ignited the Ball Center crowd before a Jokic dunk sent the arena into a frenzy, forcing Finch to call for a stoppage. The Nuggets went on an 8-0 run in 90 seconds and put the game to rest, as Minnesota could only get within 11 before Denver put the finishing touches on a 112-97 victory.

The Nuggets returned to their old ways after falling behind 2-0 in the series. Their efficiency on offense makes it challenging for Minnesota to match their production, and Jokic’s ability to find the open man on almost every possession has begun to frustrate the Timberwolves’ defense. Minnesota can make one last stand on their home floor Thursday night as they look to force a game seven back in Denver.

The Denver Nuggets are the defending champs for a reason.

With star PG Jamal Murray hampered by a calf injury, facing a 2-0 hole and needing two wins on the road in front of a deafening Minnesota crowd, the Nuggets provided their championship mettle and tied the series at two.

On Sunday, Denver once again relied on the stellar performances of its key players, Nikola Jokic, Murray and Aaron Gordon. They stepped up to the challenge and carried the team to victory, reclaiming home-court advantage.

Jokic and Gordon combined to shoot 7-9 in the first quarter as the Nuggets finished the opening 12 minutes leading 29-24. Usually, the three-time MVP provides quieter second quarters as he sits to start the frame. However, with his team down 2-1, he dominated off the bench and put up eight points and three assists in just nine minutes to ensure Denver went into halftime up 15.

Minnesota battled back in the third quarter, led by Anthony Edwards. Arguably the best player of the playoffs so far, Edwards dazzled after the break, scoring 16 points in the third on 6-8 shooting. He put on his athleticism, shot-making ability and never-say-die attitude for the world to see as he singlehandedly tried to pull the Timberwolves back into the contest. Unfortunately, he did not receive much help from the rest of his teammates as Karl-Anthony Towns dried up and shot 5-18 on the night. Edwards finished 5-8 from behind the arc, but the rest of the Timberwolves combined for a disappointing 6-20 effort from long range, with only Mike Conley splashing more than one triple.

Minnesota cut the lead to single digits to start the fourth, but the lack of a balanced or consistent offensive attack eventually did Minnesota in. The Nuggets, led by Jokic, won the assist battle 29-21 and found open shots all night against the statistically best defense in the NBA. Gordon finished 11-12 and knocked down 27 points. Along with his prolific passing, the Serbian scored 16 points in the final frame and lifted Denver to a 115-107 win.

Postgame, Edwards felt that the Nuggets “gained no momentum” and shared that he and Murray exchanged pleasantries at half-court with time expiring. The Timberwolves’ defense keeps them in every game, and their rip-your-heart-out mentality can break even the strongest sides. But, as the series progresses, Denver continues to prove why they were the odds-on favorite to win the title for most of the year.

Jokic has begun to put his fingerprints all over the series after being a non-factor in the opening two games. To make matters worse, Minnesota needs to win another game at 5,280 feet if they want to advance after stealing two on the road earlier in the week. Denver boasted a 33-8 record at the Ball Center during the regular season, and veteran teams do not usually lose three in a row at home.

After a sleepy start to the series, the champs are here.

They just put the rest of the league on notice.

After the Denver Nuggets’ Game 2 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last Monday, a video of former league MVP Nikola Jokic’s brother throwing a punch at a fan in the stands surfaced in the media. Later that night, the NBA and the Denver Police Department opened investigations into the case.

Jokic’s older brothers are regulars at Nuggets games, and the video circulating through the media appears to show Strahinja Jokic climbing over a row of seats to confront a fan and throw a punch. Jokic’s other brother, Nemanja Jokic, stands behind him in support. Strahinja appears to continue yelling at the fan during the whole altercation.

It all went down near Natalja Jokic, Jokic’s wife, who can be seen in the video trying to protect her daughter from everything and settle the situation. Not much is known about what sparked the incident.

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Once reports surfaced of the incident, the Denver Police Department commented on the investigation.

“At this time, no one has come forward as a victim of this incident,” it said. “The Department is looking into this incident, is actively working to identify the person in the video who was struck, and encourages anyone involved or witnessed this firsthand to contact the Denver Police Department.”

The Jokic brothers appeared in the news before when they were found to have created a Twitter account to harass Marcus Morris of the Cleveland Cavaliers on social media after he and Jokic had gotten into a back-and-forth altercation in a game, which got Jokic suspended. Morris was injured for a large part of the season.

Jokic’s brother’s activity will be another thing for him to tune out as he seeks his second NBA championship. The Nuggets won the series against the Lakers 4-1 on Monday night. On Sunday, they lost to Minnesota Timberwolves 106-99.

Following a 101-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, basketball’s GOAT LeBron James had some words to share on the officiating crew. It was a game where the Lakers seemed to be in control until the Nuggets came alive in the last five minutes and chipped away at what was once a 20-point lead to eventually win the game on a fadeaway jumper from star guard Jamal Murray.

James had a specific issue with a play challenged in the third quarter by Nuggets head coach Mike Malone, where a foul by Michael Porter Jr. on D’Angelo Russell was overturned in the replay center in the third quarter.

“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest,” James said. “[Russell] clearly gets hit in the face on a drive; what the f— do we have a replay center for if it’s going to go? It doesn’t make sense to me. Makes no sense to me. It bothers me.”

James also mentioned the controversy in the Sixers-Knicks game on Monday night.

“Then I just saw what happened with the Sixers-Knicks game, too. What are we doing?” James said.

As James was leaving the press conference, he was heard saying, “It’s f—ing stupid,” regarding the officiating.

At the time of the foul, the Lakers were up by ten points with 45 seconds left in the third quarter, but the Nuggets were in the midst of a 14-5 scoring run. Porter made clear contact with Russell’s face on his way to the basket, but crew chief Scott Foster said the contact was “marginal” coming out of the replay center, and the call was reversed. After the game, Russell went to social media and shared the same sentiment that James and every Laker fan shared, writing, “That’s a foul. We all saw it on national television.”

The Lakers will return to Los Angeles to host games three and four and try to tie the series before heading back to Denver.

“Protect home,” James said. “That’s where my mindset goes. And obviously, the only game that matters now is Game 3 and how we can get better, how we can figure this team out. So, Game 3 is where my mindset is.”

If they don’t win game 3, the Lakers will have to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series and continue their playoff run.

Jamal Murray hit a walk-off shot from the baseline to cap off a 20-point comeback from the Denver Nuggets against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. Two minutes into the second half, the Lakers held a 68-48 lead, but the Nuggets made a strong recovery to force a tie with 30 seconds left. 

LeBron James missed a jump shot to give Los Angeles the lead, and Murray ran down the court to hit the game-winning buzzer-beater.

Murray went 6/8 for 14 points in the fourth quarter, but before his final shot, it was somewhat of an off-night for the All-Star. By the end of the game, he had shot 9/24 from the floor and finished with 20 points, three rebounds and five assists.

“I told my teammates when I was struggling, ‘I’m going to look for y’all,’ and every single one of them told me to keep shooting,” Murray said postgame. “They told me to stay aggressive and keep looking for it, keep hunting, and when I had the ball with two seconds left, I knew once I had made a couple, the next one should go down, as well.”

Aside from Murray’s game-winner, Nikola Jokic led Denver for most of the night. The presumptive league MVP finished with 27 points, 20 rebounds and ten assists. His stat line ties Wilt Chamberlain for the most 20/20/10 triple-doubles in a playoff game in NBA history. His four times reaching the mark are also the four most recent occurrences, the last time before Jokic came 20 years ago from Kevin Garnett in 2004.

Denver outscored Los Angeles 57-40 in the second half. James finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists, while D’Angelo Russell had 23 points, three rebounds and six assists. Anthony Davis ended the game with a team-high 32 points and 11 rebounds after a near-perfect 11/12 start in the first half but went on to shoot only 3/7 the remainder of the night.

Davis was also in foul trouble for much of the second half, some of which came from calls the Lakers saw as questionable. Los Angeles finished Game 2 shooting four fewer free throws than Denver, but it had a 19-6 advantage in that department in Game 1.

Following the Game, James and Davis walked out of their postgame press conferences, with James heavily criticizing the officials and replay center.

“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest,” James said. “D-Lo clearly gets hit in the face on a drive,” James said. “What the f— do we have a replay center for if it’s going to go [like that]? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Russell also posted comments about the third-quarter call that was initially ruled a shooting foul in favor of the Lakers but overturned after a Nuggets challenge. The Lakers shot 48.7% as a team on the night, but much of that came from James, Davis and Russell, as the rest of their roster combined for 7/24 shooting. Similarly, Denver only shot 44.3% as a team on 13/35 from their supporting cast but ended the game making seven straight makes.

Denver leads 2-0 as the series moves to Los Angeles. The game will be held on Thursday night.

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will be away from the team while he recovers from lacerations to his hands and face. Gordon reportedly sustained the injuries when a dog bit him on Christmas Day.

“He’s hanging in there,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters Wednesday. “Obviously, a very traumatic experience and the most important thing I told him is that you take as much time as you need. We’re a family — wins, losses, and when people go through tough times like Aaron’s going through right now.”

The Nuggets issued a statement about Gordon’s condition Wednesday, claiming that he required 21 stitches and will not be with the team until at least the new year. The organization did not provide a firm timeframe for his return, though Malone went on to say that he should be right back in the starting lineup when he returns.

“We have his back. We love him. We’re here for him,” Malone said. “So whenever he’s able to come back, we’re going to open our arms up and embrace him. I told all the guys to make sure they’re reaching out to him, to make sure he’s never feeling like he’s on an island.”

Gordon has been with Denver for more than three seasons and has started his entire run with the team. The 28-year-old is averaging 13.6 points per game in the 2023-24 season, serving a solid complementary role to star teammates Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Malone made it clear that Gordon is a close-knit member of reigning champs. The forward even traveled to Serbia with Jokic to attend a horse racing event this past off-season.

While Gordon is away from the team, Peyton Watson and Christian Braun are expected to get more work off the bench, though this could deplete Denver’s reserves late in games.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr had some choice words about the NBA following the Warriors’ 114-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Kerr was especially frustrated about the officiating, particularly the fouling. The Warriors were called for 23 fouls compared to Denver’s 17.

Star Nugget Nikola Jokić also shot 18 free throws during the win. 

“I have no problem with the officials themselves. All across the league we have really good officials,” Kerr clarified. “I have a problem with the way we are legislating defense out of the game. That’s what we’re doing in the NBA. The way we’re teaching officials, we’re just enabling players to BS their way to the foul line.” 

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

The loss to the Nuggets drops the Warriors to 15-15, which makes them the 10th seed in the Western Conference. They are currently without star Draymond Green, who was suspended indefinitely following a second instance of violence against an opponent.