Author: Vinny Benedetto
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Nuggets notebook: Nuggets spoil Lakers celebration as Braun tries to get back to ‘old self’
Christian Braun and Michael Malone have been on the same page, but they met recently to make sure they were on the same part of the page. “I don’t think we were ever on a different page,” Braun said after Wednesday’s practice. “I’m going out focused on winning, and there is an individual part to…
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Ranking the Nuggets’ NBA title threats after quiet trade deadline
A quieter-than-anticipated NBA trade deadline has come and gone. Some of the more impactful names on the market like Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray and Toronto’s Bruce Brown stayed put, leaving some smaller trades to be the day’s biggest stories. Many players involved in trades Thursday were then quickly bought out, making them free agents eligible to…
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Nuggets notebook: Aaron Gordon’s artistry, Nuggets excited to be small part of Kobe Bryant ceremony, injury updates
Aaron Gordon isn’t just an artist in the air. The former dunk contest contestant showed he’s still got it with a windmill dunk on Friday. A few days later, he was expressing himself with his feet on the ground during Denver’s three days off. “I was doing like a little throw painting,” Gordon said at…
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Denver Nuggets turn to dodgeball to get through trade deadline, dog days of NBA season
The final practice before the trade deadline was a fun exercise for the Denver Nuggets. “We played dodgeball,” Aaron Gordon said before the team boarded a flight to Los Angeles for Thursday’s game against the Lakers. Gordon was impressed with Nikola Jokic’s game and added that he eliminated an opponent with a move from his…
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Jamal Murray using All-Star snub as another source of motivation | NBA Insider
Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets: NBA Insider There’s a new source of motivation for a man with a thirst for proving people wrong. Jamal Murray was not included as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team when the final seven selections were announced on…
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Peyton Watson continues progression inside and out while proving he can contribute to Denver Nuggets’ closing lineup
Peyton Watson is progressing in a couple of areas that allow him to play alongside Nikola Jokic. The second-year wing is showing more comfort from 3-point range. After missing all seven of the 3-pointers he took in the month of November, Watson shot 37.8% from distance, on 2.5 attempts per game in December. The percentage…
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Jamal Murray’s consistent playmaking helps Denver Nuggets drop Portland in consecutive games
Jamal Murray entered the NBA as a combo guard capable of playing either backcourt position. But he’s looking more and more like a true point guard in his seventh NBA season. Heading into Sunday’s 112-103 win over Portland at Ball Arena, the 26-year-old was averaging a career-high 6.5 assists. Last season, when he posted 6.2…
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Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups happy to have extended stay in hometown, celebrate Denver Nuggets’ championship
There’s at least one coach who doesn’t have complaints about his team’s schedule during the dreaded stretch of the season leading up to the All-Star break. The NBA did Portland coach and Denver native Chauncey Billups a small favor by giving his team back-to-back games against the Nuggets on Friday and Sunday. “This is pretty…
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Nikola Jokic delivers 20-20 triple-double as Nuggets defeat Trail Blazers
Nikola Jokic put the Nuggets on his bothersome lower back and carried the team to a 120-108 victory over Portland on Friday at Ball Arena. After missing Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City with low back pain, Jokic returned to the starting lineup Friday. While he said he didn’t feel any different early, he agreed the…
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope keeps a finger on Portland’s pulse as Denver Nuggets beat Trail Blazers
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was so determined to get a stop on defense it took a bit to feel a dislocated finger. After Nikola Jokic gave the Nuggets a 12-point lead in the final five minutes of Friday’s 120-108 win over Portland at Ball Arena, Anfernee Simons found himself one-on-one with Denver’s best perimeter defender. Simons caught…