Latest news with #Nuggets'
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Good effort not enough to end drought
"I think the game's about five minutes too long for us right now." That is the first thought that came to mind for Otago Nuggets coach Mike Kelly following his side's 98-92 loss to the Hawke's Bay Hawks in Dunedin on Saturday night. The Nuggets produced arguably their best effort at home since the narrow loss to the Auckland Tuatara in early April. They are on a nine-game losing streak in the National Basketball League but had an opportunity to break the drought. But the Hawks snatched the win in the final few minutes. They simply had more composure when it mattered the most. "The guys are playing really hard," Kelly said. "They're trying to play together, but we still have our patches of defence where we're not consistent." That has been a familiar theme for the Nuggets. They just have not been able to string stops together often enough. The Nuggets trailed by three points with two minutes remaining but they looked panicked and blundered a possible win away. But there were some promising signs that the next win might be drawing closer. Jonathan Janssen had a monster night. He battled his way to the hoop for 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Jaylen Sebree has his best game in the Nuggets' singlet. He collected 29 points and nine rebounds. But he blotted his copybook with an unprofessional technical foul. He got right in the face of a referee to argue about a call. Don Carey jun (21 points, six assists) burst into life in the second half. No-one else on the Nuggets' roster made much of a dent. "Jono did really well and we're going to need him to score like that. "And Jaylen as well, particularly in that first half." The Hawks spread the scoring more. Daniel Grida and Jackson Ball added 20 apiece, Luca Yates scored 19 and Campbell Scott and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk popped in 18 each. The Nuggets made a promising start. Sebree cut to the hoop and Janssen muscled his way there. Midway through the opening period they led 14-7. Grida is all hustle and he got the visitors going with some good work in the paint. Yates shunted his way to the rim for a bucket. But the Nuggets had the last say in the quarter, potting four free throws to take a 24-18 lead. Sebree connected with the first three of the game three minutes into the second period. Janssen followed his lead with a triple of his own. Moments later he wrestled an offensive, got the foul and added two from the stripe. Sebree drilled a deep three and floated in a mid-range shot to take his total into the 20s. The Nuggets had opened up a 17-point lead but most of it vanished. Ball iced a couple of triples and the Hawks scored 11 unanswered points to close out the half. That was a damaging stretch in the context of the game. Carey had a quiet half but landed a deep three when the Nuggets needed a basket. But Yates was getting some traction inside. He backed his way in, turned and popped in a lay-up to level the score. Scott hit a three and suddenly the Nuggets trailed by seven. All their labour was unravelling. They needed a strong finish to the quarter and they got it. Carey landed from beyond the arc and Patrick Freeman slapped away a shot. With 10 minutes remaining, the score was level 72-72. It all came down to that last 120 seconds. The Hawks nursed a small advantage but was enough to pressure their opponent into mistakes. The Hawks won the Rapid League game 42-31. NBL The scores Hawke's Bay Hawks 98 Daniel Grida 20, Jackson Bell 20 Otago Nuggets 92 Jonathan Janssen 33, Jaylen Sebree 29 Quarter scores: 24-18, 53-47, 72-72.
Otago Daily Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Nuggets fall short after big effort
''I think the game's about five minutes too long for us right now.'' That is the first thought that came to mind for Otago Nuggets coach Mike Kelly following his side's 98-92 loss to the Hawke's Bay Hawks in Dunedin on Saturday night. The Nuggets produced arguably their best effort at home since the narrow loss to the Auckland Tuatara in early April. They are on a nine-game losing streak in the National Basketball League but had an opportunity to break the drought. But the Hawks snatched the win in the final few minutes. They simply had more composure when it mattered the most. ''The guys are playing really hard,'' Kelly said. ''They're trying to play together, but we still have our patches of defence where we're not consistent.'' That has been a familiar theme for the Nuggets. They just have not been able to string stops together often enough. The Nuggets trailed by three points with two minutes remaining but they looked panicked and they blundered a possible win away. But there were some promising signs that the next win might be drawing closer. Jonathan Janssen had a monster night. He battled his way to the hoop for 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Jaylen Sebree has his best game in the Nuggets' singlet. He collected 29 points and nine rebounds. But he blotted his copybook with an unprofessional technical foul. He got right in the face of a referee to argue about a call. Don Carey jun (21 points, six assists) burst into life in the second half. No-one else on the Nuggets' roster made much of a dent. ''Jono did really well and we're going to need him to score like that. ''And Jaylen as well, particularly in that first half.'' The Hawks spread the scoring more. Daniel Grida and Jackson Ball added 20 apiece, Luca Yates scored 19 and Campbell Scott and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk popped in 18 each. The Nuggets made a promising start. Sebree cut to the hoop and Janssen muscled his way there. Midway through the opening period they led 14-7. Grida is all hustle and he got the visitors going with some good work in the paint. Yates shunted his way to the rim for a bucket. But the Nuggets had the last say in the quarter, potting four free throws to take a 24-18 lead. Sebree connected with the first three of the game three minutes into the second period. Janssen followed his lead with a triple of his own. Moments later he wrestled an offensive, got the foul and added two from the stripe. Sebree drilled a deep three and floated in a mid-range shot to take his total into the 20s. The Nuggets had opened up a 17-point lead but most of it vanished. Ball iced a couple of triples and the Hawks scored 11 unanswered points to close out the half. That was a damaging stretch in the context of the game. Carey had a quiet half but landed a deep three when the Nuggets needed a basket. But Yates was getting some traction inside. He backed his way in, turned and popped in a lay-up to level the score. Scott hit a three and suddenly the Nuggets trailed by seven All their endeavour was unravelling. They needed a strong finish to the quarter and they got. Carey landed from beyond the arc and Patrick Freeman slapped away a shot. With 10 minutes remaining, the score was level 72-72. It all came down to that last 120 seconds. The Hawks nursed a small advantage but was enough to pressure their opponent into mistakes. The Hawks won the Rapid League game 42-31. NBL The scores Hawke's Bay Hawks 98 (Daniel Grida 20, Jackson Bell 20) Otago Nuggets 92 (Jonathan Janssen 33, Jaylen Sebree 29) Quarter scores: 24-18, 53-47, 72-72, 98-92.
France 24
22-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Nuggets confirm Adelman as permanent head coach
Adelman had worked as Denver's interim head coach after the shock dismissal of Michael Malone in early April in the final days of the regular season. Adelman subsequently oversaw the Nuggets' first round playoff series victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, before taking the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the Western Conference semi-finals. The 44-year-old Adelman has been on Denver's payroll since joining as an assistant coach in 2017 following coaching stints in Orlando and Minnesota. Adelman is widely credited with reinvigorating the Nuggets during the postseason in the wake of the turmoil surrounding Malone's exit. Speaking after Denver were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday following a 125-93 drubbing by Oklahoma City, Adelman said he was uncertain what the future would bring. "Decision-makers will make that decision," Adelman said when asked if he expected to return as head coach next season. "Obviously blessed to have this opportunity. If I'm not back next year, I'll never forget this. It's been an incredible experience." Denver star Nikola Jokic praised Adelman's influence in getting the Nuggets' season back on track. "It's a tough, tough spot to be in," Jokic said of Adelman. "He had three games to change something, and I think he changed the energy. I think the guys were woken up a little bit, the guys had more energy. "He made us believe in something, and we played well. We played a seven-game series with probably the best team in the NBA, and we had opportunities, we had chances. I think he did a really good job." Denver stalwart Aaron Gordon was in no doubt that Adelman should be retained. "I love DA. I hope he's here next year, I hope he's our coach," Gordon said. "I hope he gets an entire training camp, a whole offseason, and a full training camp to figure out his philosophy... he's excellent for us." © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michael Porter Jr. Makes Blunt Statement Amid Struggles for Nuggets in NBA Playoffs
Game 5 was a very winnable outing for the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. That was not the result that ultimately wound up playing out. The Nuggets lost a disappointing 112-105 ball game to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A tight contest slipped away from them in the clutch against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company. Advertisement One pivotal aspect that kept the Nuggets from the win column was the lackluster play of Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets forward finished the game with a lousy two points, shooting 1-of-7 from the field. The shortcomings of Porter Jr. during this postseason was something the Nuggets' max player was ready to take accountability for. Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. react during a game against the J. Downing-Imagn Images Porter Jr. opens up on playoff struggles The 2025 NBA Playoffs have not been kind of the Nuggets starter. Porter Jr. is averaging a subpar 9.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game for the Nuggets, while shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from 3-point land. Advertisement The 26-year-old told Bennett Durando after the Game 5 loss that he understands how much of the Nuggets' series deficit falls on his shoulders. 'We've played well enough to win the last two games. A lot of the reason we lost is because I'm not helping contribute. And that's tough. That's really tough. I'm looking at myself individually and how I can try to help the team win, because I haven't been doing that. I haven't been contributing in any way right now.' -Michael Porter Jr. Related: Nuggets' Nikola Jokic Makes Clear Thunder Statement After Game 5 The weak efforts from Porter Jr. have forced incredible performances like Tuesday night's 44-point, 15-rebound game from Nikola Jokic to go to waste. The Nuggets will now head back to Ball Arena for Game 6 looking to save their season. Porter Jr. breaking out of his shooting slump would go a long way. Check out the Inside the Thunder homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Related: Nuggets Star Supports Russell Westbrook After Recent Claims
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nikola Jokić should be fantasy basketball's top pick next season — after that, not much is certain for Nuggets
The playoffs are where stars rise and weaknesses get exposed. Every defeated team leaves behind stories of promise and failure — the players who stand at the crossroads of potential and uncertainty. We're not here to dwell on the heartbreak of a postseason exit, but to sift through the aftermath, piecing together what it means for fantasy rosters and spotlighting the players who deserve your attention. For every team sent packing, we'll analyze one standout player primed for growth and one major question mark that could impact the team's fantasy value. The NBA offseason is already shaping up to be a drama-filled, rumor-laden affair. This is all about understanding what's next, not just for the teams themselves, but for the fantasy basketball managers who are getting a pulse ahead of the 2025-26 season. The Nuggets' season ended on Sunday in a blowout loss to the Thunder in Game 7 of the West semifinals. While that game wasn't competitive, the Nuggets showed constant resolve throughout the postseason. They simply ran out of gas, and that's understandable given their challenging path and the injuries that piled up along the way. But it doesn't just end there. After a campaign marred by late-season turbulence — head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth were fired three games before the postseason — the ripple effect of those decisions reverberated through the organization, and now, the direction for 2025-26 is a giant question mark. One thing, however, remains crystal clear for fantasy basketball managers: Nikola Jokić is still king. Even with the franchise's chaos, Jokić was again the best fantasy player across formats. Over 70 games, he posted a historic triple-double, averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game on 57.6% shooting from the field. His unique combination of efficiency, generating gaudy counting stats and availability makes him an auto-pick at 1.01. I'm convinced he's on one of the best runs we've seen in the history of fantasy basketball. But what about the rest of the Nuggets? That's where things get murkier. Porter chipped in 18.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, playing in 77 contests. He finished a seventh-round value in 9-cat leagues, which is even with his ADP of 72.3. So, he did what he was supposed to do. However, MPJ's salary accounts for 25% of their payroll at $39M per year over the next two seasons — a signal that he might be the first player offered in a potential deal to shake things up. Porter Jr. is a beast for gutting out the second round with basically one arm. Still, change is necessary as this Nuggets team stalled out before the Western Conference finals once again. Jamal Murray's recent extension makes it harder to move him, and when assessing the rest of the supporting cast, MPJ seems to be the likely piece to be involved in any personnel changes. Braun was an unheralded bright spot for Denver this season. With an ADP in the 12th round, Braun went on to play 79 games and shoot an efficient 58% from the field. He was an underrated fantasy contributor across the board, excelling in an expanded role in a season where he should've garnered more votes for Most Improved Player. Looking ahead to next season, he's a player whose ADP will go a few rounds higher, but don't overdraft him in points leagues because the efficiency gains won't factor into his fantasy value. The Nuggets face an offseason full of uncertainty, from filling leadership vacancies to a potential roster shakeup. However, one priority should be clear to anyone watching from a fantasy or pure basketball standpoint: It's time to maximize Jokić's prime. Jokić is the kind of transcendent player who ensures Denver's competitive floor and elevates the fantasy value of nearly anyone playing with him. Despite Denver's long-term direction being in flux, Jokić will be the undisputed No. 1 pick next season, and fantasy managers should continue investing in the role players tied to him, like Braun.
