The Denver Nuggets were without star center Nikola Jokic and coach Michael Malone for their NBA Cup opener Friday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Denver point guard Jamal Murray was placed in the concussion protocol after a third-quarter collision with Minnesota’s Julius Randle forced him out of the game.

There was a video tribute celebrating his big accomplishments on and off the court.

The Denver Nuggets secured another one of their core players by agreeing with forward Aaron Gordon on a four-year, $133 million contract extension Monday night.

The NBA returned to the Persian Gulf on Friday for the third consecutive year.

After months of planning, it’s time for the U.S. Olympic team — one that will go to the Paris Games later this month seeking a fifth consecutive gold medal — to take the floor.

Denver Nuggets made the selection on behalf of the Phoenix Suns after the two agreed upon a pick swap earlier in the night.

Billionaire media magnate and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has agreed to partner with Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez on their in-dispute attempt to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details were not being made public.

Denver coach Michael Malone first broached the subject with his team in training camp, reminding them no NBA champion had won back-to-back titles since the Golden State Warriors did it in 2018.

The Minnesota Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time in two decades Sunday night when they roared back from a 20-point deficit to defeat the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets 98-90.

The Denver Nuggets couldn’t quiet an epic second-half comeback by Minnesota or the noise emanating from a boisterous Timberwolves locker room.

Anthony Edwards overcame a slow start and the Timberwolves roared back from a 20-point second-half deficit to eliminate the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets 98-90 in a Game 7 Minnesota masterpiece.

Jamal Murray failed to make a fadeaway on Denver’s first possession and then tried a floater that spun around the rim and spit out in portending fashion.

Anthony Edwards scored 27 points to pull the Minnesota Timberwolves out of their mid-series slump and deliver a flawless 115-70 victory over the Denver Nuggets to force a Game 7 in this roller-coaster playoff matchup.

None of the five teams to win the NBA championship prior to Denver last year advanced past the second round of the playoffs the following season.

Anthony Edwards was seeing double everywhere he turned.

Nikola Jokic was presented with his third NBA MVP award before the game, then scored 40 points and dished out 13 assists in leading the Denver Nuggets past the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-97 Tuesday night.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined $75,000 by the NBA for another “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture” suggesting a lack of integrity with the league and its game officials.

Nikola Jokic scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and Aaron Gordon had 27 points on 11-for-12 shooting to propel the Denver Nuggets to a series-tying 115-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets managed to fight their way back into the NBA's conference semifinals with key Game 3 victories Friday night.

Jamal Murray rebounded from a rough start to the Western Conference semifinals with 24 points to lead the Denver Nuggets on a 117-90 romp in Game 3 that made the Minnesota Timberwolves the last team in the NBA to lose in this postseason.

The Minnesota Timberwolves did the hard part by winning the first two games of their Western Conference semifinal series in Denver against the defending champion Nuggets.

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone says he reminded his team they are the defending champions and issued a challenge to both act like it and play like it.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been fined $100,000 by the NBA but avoided a suspension for what the league described as “throwing multiple objects in the direction of a game official during live play.”.

Another dominant performance by the Minnesota Timberwolves has the reigning but reeling NBA champion Denver Nuggets on the cusp of a stunning early exit from the playoffs.

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray lost his cool on the bench and tossed a heat pack onto the court.

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone says it's about time his team snaps out of its slow starts.

Anthony Edwards scored a playoff career-high 43 points, Naz Reid had 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets 106-99 in Game 1 of the second-round series Saturday night.

After having knee surgery, Minnesota coach Chris Finch was in the second row of the bench for Game 1 of a second-round series with Denver on Saturday night.

A deep run by the Lakers in the NBA playoffs might have altered any Olympic plans for James.

Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray scuffled with his shot in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Victor Wembanyama will return to Paris, he hopes as an Olympic champion, when the San Antonio Spurs face the Indiana Pacers in two regular-season NBA games early next year.

The Denver Nuggets needed just five games to dispatch the Los Angeles Lakers from the playoffs for a second consecutive year.

Jamal Murray scored 32 points despite a strained left calf and sank the game-winning shot with 3.6 seconds remaining as the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets again bounced LeBron James from the playoffs with a 108-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5.

The Denver Nuggets on Sunday listed point guard Jamal Murray as questionable for Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers because of a strained left calf.

The Los Angeles Lakers avoided playoff elimination with a 119-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their first-round series.

There’s a quadrupleheader of playoff games in the NBA on Saturday.

The Denver Nuggets moved to the brink of the second round with a 112-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the first-round series.

The NBA and Denver police are looking into an incident in which a man reported to be one of the brothers of Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was seen punching a fan after the team’s buzzer-beating 101-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA playoffs.

LeBron James' anger boiled over after the Los Angeles Lakers' latest loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Jamal Murray sank a 15-foot step-back jumper at the buzzer and the Denver Nuggets wiped out a 20-point second-half deficit to stun the Los Angeles Lakers 101-99 Monday night and take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.

Denver's Nikola Jokic is one step closer to winning a third MVP award in the last four seasons.

Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are the NBA’s main men in the middle, the two centers combining for the last three MVP awards in the regular season with perhaps another coming soon.

Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets powered past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 114-103 in their Western Conference playoff opener.

There’s a 64-win team in Boston that ran away with the league’s best record.

Nikola Jokic scored 41 points and powered the Denver Nuggets past Minnesota and into sole possession of first place in the tight Western Conference playoff race with a 116-107 win over the Timberwolves.

Nikola Jokic had 35 points and 16 rebounds and Michael Porter Jr. scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Denver Nuggets fended off the undermanned and undersized Minnesota Timberwolves 115-112.

Nikola Jokic scored 31 points and the Denver Nuggets beat San Antonio 117-106 on Friday night in a game played in the Texas capital as the Spurs drew a record crowd in their bid to broaden their regional fan base.

Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in leading the Denver Nuggets to a 115-109 win over Boston and a season sweep of the Celtics.

Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists for his third straight triple-double and 18th of the season after his long buzzer-beater against Golden State sealed the last meeting, leading the defending champion Denver Nuggets past the Warriors again in a 119-103 victory.

There’s no NBA player who is a bigger fan of harness racing than Denver’s Nikola Jokic.

Nikola Jokic spoiled Doc Rivers' debut as Milwaukee coach by recording his 14th triple-double of the season in the Denver Nuggets' 113-107 victory over the Bucks.

Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 16 rebounds but was denied his rematch with fellow MVP contender Joel Embiid when the Denver Nuggets fended off the short-handed but gritty Philadelphia 76ers 111-105.

Jamal Murray scored 35 points, Nikola Jokic finished with 34 points and the Denver Nuggets held on to hand the Boston Celtics their first home loss of the season 102-100.

Joel Embiid had 41 points and 10 assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets 126-121 on Tuesday night in a battle of the last two NBA MVPs.

Paolo Banchero hit a pair of go-ahead of free throws with 9.7 seconds remaining on a night he recorded his first career triple-double and the Orlando Magic rallied for a 122-120 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic hit a 40-footer as time expired and the Denver Nuggets stunned the Golden State Warriors 130-127 on Thursday night after trailing by 18 points in the fourth quarter.

A person with knowledge of the situation says Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon needed 21 stitches after suffering lacerations to his face and right hand while being bitten by a family dog on Christmas.

Jamal Murray scored 28 points, Nikola Jokic overcame an off shooting day by going 18 of 18 from the free-throw line and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to five games by holding off the Golden State Warriors 120-114 on Monday.

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic was ejected in the second quarter of Denver’s 114-106 victory at Chicago for the language he directed toward an official after he felt he was fouled on a layup attempt.

Nikola Jokic had 21 points and 16 assists, Reggie Jackson added 20 points and the Denver Nuggets held off the Phoenix Suns 119-111 for a hard-fought victory Friday night.

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant moved into the top 10 in scoring in NBA history Friday night when a layup gave him 27,411 career points.

Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 30 points and the Denver Nuggets rolled past the Houston Rockets 134-124 on Wednesday night in Jamal Murray’s return from a hamstring injury.

Russell Westbrook got into an extended verbal exchange with a fan late in the Los Angeles Clippers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Jamal Murray is edging closer to a return from a hamstring injury and will join the Denver Nuggets on their upcoming five-game trip.

The Denver Nuggets have extended the contract of coach Michael Malone after he guided the franchise to its first NBA title, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

An exhausted Nikola Jokic had 35 points and 13 rebounds in more than 36 minutes of action to help the Denver Nuggets hold off the Golden State Warriors 108-105 on Wednesday night.

Nikola Jokic finished an assist shy of a triple-double and the Denver Nuggets held off the Dallas Mavericks 125-114 on Friday night to open the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament.

The 3-point shot of Dallas forward Grant Williams felt slightly off all morning in practice on the new, brightly painted Denver Nuggets court.

Nikola Jokic had 28 points and 14 rebounds to help the Denver Nuggets roll past the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-95.

The offseason moves by the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks got the attention of the NBA world and those who bet on the sport.

Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double and the Denver Nuggets began defense of their first NBA title with a 119-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Damian Lillard went to Milwaukee, Bradley Beal went to Phoenix, Jrue Holiday ended up in Boston and Chris Paul ended up with Golden State.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has turned himself in after a warrant was issued for an alleged protection order violation stemming from a domestic violence case last year.

Brendan Malone, father of Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone and champion of ‘The Jordan Rules’ that helped the Detroit Pistons beat the Chicago Bulls on the way to two championships, has died at 81.

Brazilian soccer star Neymar was fined more than $3.3 million for violating local environmental rules during renovations at his mansion in the city of Mangaratiba outside Rio de Janeiro.

Draymond Green and Kyrie Irving are among the top players to watch when NBA free agency begins Friday.

The NBA-champion Denver Nuggets struck a deal with Indiana to acquire a first-round round pick in the draft on Thursday night.

Bruce Brown is set to become a free agent after declining his $6.8 million player option with the NBA-champion Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic made it back to Serbia in time to watch his beloved horses race in his hometown.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets celebrated their first NBA title with a parade through the streets of downtown Denver.

It was barely dawn when Nikola Jokic’s hardcore fans in his Serbian hometown of Sombor chanted “MVP.

This may be just the start for the Denver Nuggets.

Confetti flying in Denver.

Miami guard Tyler Herro was available to play in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, nearly two months after breaking his right hand and with the Heat facing elimination against the Denver Nuggets.

Everything from the history books to the way they’ve played through most of the postseason suggests the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of capturing their first NBA title in 47 years in the league.

Kevin Love missed Miami’s team flight to Denver for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor knocked out the Miami Heat mascot in a midgame bit that went wrong.

The Denver Nuggets have shown a lot of poise in their first NBA Finals.

Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Nikola Jokic added 23 and the Denver Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the title series.

Denver rookie Christian Braun is in rarified air with the Nuggets two wins shy of winning the first NBA championship in franchise history.

Jimmy Butler showed up in plush blue slippers Thursday for what was officially called practice.

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to both record triple-doubles, and Denver’s two stars made sure the Nuggets reclaimed the lead in the series by beating the Miami Heat 109-94 in Game 3 on Wednesday night.

NBA superstar LeBron James has been named the official starter for the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend.

They use the court as their canvas, seeing passing lanes and paths to victory that others in their sports simply cannot.

It was a popular theme before the NBA Finals started — about how the Nuggets, an up-tempo team with fresh legs that could exploit the mile-high altitude in Denver, would have a good chance to wear down the Miami Heat.

Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each scored 21 and the Miami Heat evened up the NBA Finals by overcoming a monster effort from Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 on Sunday night.

The Denver Nuggets' playoff run has been fueled by the two-man game of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

Nuggets rookie Christian Braun gets high praise from coach Michael Malone, and his star teammates Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray also rave about the rookie.

The highlight of Game 1 for Jamal Murray came when he dribbled into the middle, planted his surgically repaired left knee in the paint, made a full clockwise turn, then faded away and swished a mid-range jumper.