Author: Vinny Benedetto
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Where the Denver Nuggets go after first-round disaster | Vinny’s take
Denver’s front office is stuck between a mountain and a hard place. Executive vice president of player personnel Jon Wallace and executive vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer did a lot of things right on paper last year, even if vice chairman Josh Kroenke got the love in the Executive of the Year voting.…
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Jamal Murray’s accountability, David Adelman’s support, Cam Johnson’s desire to stay in Denver | Nuggets notebook
MINNEAPOLIS – The best regular season of Jamal Murray’s career was followed by his worst and shortest playoff performance. “I feel like if I would’ve played a little better, we would’ve had that game,” Murray said after the Nuggets were eliminated Thursday at Target Center. “It’s just frustrating on my part. I’ll take accountability for…
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Nikola Jokic says ‘in Serbia, we all get fired,’ but reaffirms commitment to Nuggets after Game 6 defeat
MINNEAPOLIS — An offseason that started much sooner than the Nuggets hoped or expected got off to a positive start. Mere minutes after Denver’s season ended with a 110-98 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 6 of a first-round series Thursday at Target Center, The Denver Gazette asked Nikola Jokic if coming up short of…
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Nuggets’ season ends with ‘complete disappointment’ after Timberwolves take Game 6
MINNEAPOLIS – The time of death for the Nuggets’ season came at 11:22 Central Daylight Time. After a regular season that started with championship potential and ended with unprecedented promise, the postseason run lasted all of six games. Minnesota, without Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, Ayo Dosunmu and Kyle Anderson, eliminated the Nuggets in the first…
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Jamal Murray ready to ‘let it rip’ with Denver Nuggets’ season on the line
MINNEAPOLIS – The biggest game of the Nuggets’ season is another opportunity for Jamal Murray. After the best regular season of his 10-year career, Murray has had his fair share of struggles to start another playoff series against the Timberwolves. There’s the 37.5% shooting from the field and a 27.5% mark from 3-point range. He’s…
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Aaron Gordon again questionable for Game 6; Peyton Watson still out for Nuggets
MINNEAPOLIS – The delicate dance with Aaron Gordon’s tricky left calf continues. Denver’s starting power forward is once again listed as questionable for Thursday’s win-or-go-home Game 6 at Target Center. After missing Game 3, Gordon last played in Game 4 but had his minutes cut after halftime. “His mobility, the way he guarded (Julius) Randle…
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Spencer Jones’ physicality from Day 1 a perfect playoff fit | NBA Insider
Denver Gazette beat writer Vinny Benedetto takes you around the NBA and inside the Nuggets locker room: NBA Insider What started behind closed doors in San Diego is now on display for all a national audience. “The physicality was there, man. … We know what Spence is,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said on the University…
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Nuggets take big step toward another 3-1 comeback with 125-113 win in Game 5
The chance to be No. 14 is still alive and looking increasingly likely. Denver’s 125-113 win over the Timberwolves on Monday at Ball Arena extended the first-round series to a sixth game. With a win Thursday in Minneapolis, the Nuggets will have a chance to complete the 14th comeback from down 3-1 in NBA history.…
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Nikola Jokic ties NBA record for career triple-doubles
Nikola Jokic made history in the third quarter of Monday’s game against Minnesota at Ball Arena. With his 10th rebound, Jokic tied former teammate Russell Westbrook for the most career triple-doubles when regular-season and postseason triple-doubles are combined, with 221. Jokic finished the first half with 13 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Four rebounds…
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Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Timberwolves’ Julius Randle fined for Game 4 fracas
The only punishment from the end of Saturday’s Game 4 in Minneapolis came in the form of fines. The NBA announced Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was fined $50,000 for starting the altercation after Jaden McDaniels scored in the final seconds of an already-decided game. Jokic jogged to confront McDaniels after the Timberwolves’ wing made a…