Broncos Ilbs Cody Barton, Justin Strnad Have Stepped Up Nicely After Alex Singleton’s Injury

These Nuggets are going to face more palatable defenses than the Oklahoma City Thunder in most games, but they’re going to need to shoot the ball better than their one-game sample size so far to remain a championship contender. Denver shot 35% from the field and 7 for 39 from 3-point range in a 102-87 season-opening loss to the Thunder on Thursday night at Ball Arena.

SALT LAKE CITY — Maybe it doesn’t matter who else is missing for the Colorado Avalanche, as long as Jared Bednar can start his lineup card with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen. The Avs are officially rolling, wiping out the Utah Hockey Club on their first trip to Delta Center with a 5-1 win.

Thursday night scores Chatfield 22, Arvada West 21 Pueblo East 39, Canon City 6 Castle View 38, ThunderRidge 14 Gateway 30, Thornton 16 Erie 38, Legacy 17 Palisade 50, Steamboat Springs 7 The Academy 64, Arvada 18 Thompson Valley 35, Fort Morgan 0 Related Articles Preps | The Denver Post’s 2024 Gold Helmet Award nomination form Preps | 8 Colorado high school football games to watch in Week 9 Preps | Colorado high school football rankings, Week 9: Good luck making sense of Class 5A jumble Preps | Ralston Valley ends Columbine’s 21-game win streak with goal line stuff in OT Thriller Preps | A new kind of “Foot”ball: Longmont blasts past Skyline Want more sports news?

This is about traits, not stats. The Broncos defense is not the 2015 Orange Rush. Let’s get that straight. “I love the way they are playing. I am proud of them. They are off to a great start,” said former All-Pro cornerback Chris Harris Jr. “But avoid comparisons with us until we get through the season.” Harris is right.

It appeared a monkey wrench was thrown into the Broncos’ defense just when the unit had found their groove. Alex Singleton suffered a torn ACL during Week 3’s win over Tampa Bay, leaving the inside linebacker room with Cody Barton, a rotational player on his third team in three seasons, Justin Strnad — who hadn’t played a single defensive snap since 2021 — and newly signed practice squad members Zach Cunningham and Kwon Alexander, a 10-year veteran coming off a torn Achilles that he suffered last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But any concerns about how the unit would respond after Singleton’s season-ending injury have been silenced in recent weeks.

The Nuggets have a new court for their in-season tournament home games this year, and it’s a bit more modest. Unlike the predominantly royal blue court that was rolled out at Ball Arena for the inaugural tournament in 2023, Denver’s floor will be yellow in the second edition of the event, now called the Emirates NBA Cup.