Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room:

NBA Insider

Numbers never lie, but sometimes they mislead.

Christian Braun in Monday’s loss to the Cavaliers scored more than 10 points for the first time since suffering a serious ankle sprain against the Clippers on Nov. 12. That doesn’t mean he’s feeling better than he ever has in the previous six games.

“Obviously, people are going to say that, because it’s my best scoring game, but it’s not the best it’s felt,” Braun admitted Monday after the Nuggets’ defeat. “It’s just going to continue to get better. I got to be better with my rehab stuff and continue to make progress.”

The best Braun felt since the injury, he said, was the second time he returned to the court this season, which came against the Pistons on Feb. 3. He originally returned for a few games in early January before determining he wasn’t where he needed to be to have his desired impact. He scored a total of eight points on 14 shots in 79 combined minutes against the Nets, Celtics and Hawks before returning to the sideline for roughly another month.

“It’s pretty easy to see the first time I came back, I just wasn’t ready in a lot of places,” Braun said. “I wasn’t ready. The ankle wasn’t explosive enough. I think for my game, and the way I want to play and the players I have to guard, you need that ankle to be explosive. It just wasn’t the first time. … It’s not quite explosive enough yet, but it’s much better than it was the first time.”

Braun took ownership for not being good enough defensively against Donovan Mitchell or James Harden, as Denver lost for the fourth time in five games, but the positives are hard to deny. Nuggets coach David Adelman mentioned that Braun’s defense looked like it was back to its old ways against the Pistons and Knicks.

“The explosion is slowly coming back. For ‘CB,’ I think this is a great time to push himself two of these next three nights and then get a break again. Hopefully that just continues to heal for him, because it really is an injury that needs time more than rehab or whatever. The discomfort part is going to be there,” the Nuggets coach said before moving onto Braun’s euro-step finish in transition against the Bulls.

“It wasn’t one where he looked (like there) was anxiety to do it. He just took off and went. That’s what he does. It’s such a big part of our transition game is ‘CB.’ He really is our runner. To get that back is such a big deal. It allows us to have another layer to our offense.”

Prior to this season, Braun played in more than 75 games in each of his first three NBA seasons, including the 2023-24 season when he played all 82 regular-season games and 12 more in the playoffs. He played in 30 or more games in all three of his collegiate seasons at Kansas, so watching from the sideline isn’t really Braun’s thing.

“I hated it. I think that’s partially why I wanted to come back so quick,” Braun said.

“Maybe some adversity in my career, a little bit, could help me make sure I’m focused and make sure I’m locked in on the right things.  … It’s always about winning for me.”

What I’m Thinking

Bad Bunny isn’t the only Puerto Rican putting on a show these days.

“I enjoyed that a lot,” Nuggets guard Julian Strawther said of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show. “That was huge, huge, huge for the Puerto Ricans everywhere. That was fun to watch.”

The same could be said of Strawther’s recent performances. The 23-year-old was born in Las Vegas but opted to represent Puerto Rico in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in 2019, a celebration of his late mother’s heritage. He matched his season-high with 20 points in Monday’s loss to the Cavaliers and scored double figures for a fourth consecutive game.

“Julian’s a really good version of himself right now. He’s confident. He’s shooting the ball, which is allowing him to get downhill to his right hand and score. I thought he competed defensively throughout the night. That’s an area he has to keep improving,” the Nuggets’ coach said after the game.

“If you play the better part of the minutes of a game, you’re going to play against star players. You’re going to have to guard them with all the switching that goes on in our league. He’s made strides. It’s been fun to watch.”

Strawther is one of three active Puerto Ricans in the NBA. He’s joined by Knicks guard Jose Alvarado and Pacers rookie Ethan Thompson. All three have a way to go before they have the same kind of clout as Nuggets assistant JJ Barea, another puertorriqueno who received a shoutout during the performance. Bad Bunny’s song “El Apagon” contains the lyrics “Tierre de Maelo y Tego Calderon, y de Barea, el que fue campeon primero que LeBron,” which loosely translates to “Land of Maelo and Tego Calderon and Barea, the one who was a champion before LeBron.”  

What They’re Saying

The Nuggets hosted their annual Special Olympics clinic on Tuesday afternoon at Ball Arena. The Special Olympians got signed one-day contracts before going through a series of drills with Nuggets players and coaches on the main court. Nikola Jokic dished out a whole lot of high fives and smiles.

“I like to have fun. They like to have fun,” Jokic said during the event.

“It’s just the joy they have shooting the ball, playing basketball. They really enjoy that, and it’s really pleasant to see.”

— Those thinking about wagering on Jamal Murray’s odds to win Saturday’s 3-point shootout might want to reconsider.

“I’m going to shoot with my left hand,” Murray said in a tone that may or may not have been joking.

The Nuggets’ lone Jayhawk had the opportunity to rub in Kansas’s win Monday over previously unbeaten Arizona to former Wildcats Aaron Gordon and Zeke Nnaji.

“That was expected,” Braun said of the so-called upset.

What I’m Following

• Celtics star Jayson Tatum was assigned to Boston’s G League affiliate Monday, a move that allows him to practice against the Maine Celtics as he ramps up his return from a torn Achilles tendon.
• Brandon Ingram got the nod to replace Stephen Curry, who will miss the game with a minor knee injury, on one of the American All-Star teams. Michael Porter Jr. was another option, but Adam Silver went with Ingram.
• Oklahoma City’s Nikola Topic made his G League debut Monday. The Serbian missed all of last season with a torn ligament in his knee. Topic was diagnosed with testicular cancer right before this season started.