Comment on Lakers win in 1st without Kobe, near playoffs

LAS VEGAS – He coats the rim of the margarita glass. He is a sprinkled pinch in your favorite dish. He is lathered on vinegar chips. Jamal Murray is salty. It’s nothing new when meeting with reporters. The Nuggets’ star guard is known to brush them aside on occasion, either due to ambivalence, annoyance or distraction (like when he watched a UFC fight on his phone during a news conference). Yet, when he is candid, there are few athletes in Denver better, especially after losses. His response Wednesday night to the one question concerning Nuggets Nation, though, was unnerving.

When Cody Brundage steps into the Octagon on Saturday, he’ll carry his daughter’s fight with him. Brundage, one of four locals on the UFC Fight Night card in the promotion’s return to Denver at Ball Arena, has gained strength from watching 3-year-old Kingsley battle ALG13-CDG — a rare disease caused by a genetic mutation. “This (fighting) life is pretty hard in terms of balance because it demands everything of you, and a lot of times it doesn’t really give that much back,” Brundage said.

Cincinnati is four games under .500 and in eighth place in the National League wild-card standings. But put Cincy on the same field as the woeful Rockies, and the Big Red Machine revs back to life. Behind a dominating six-inning performance by All-Star Hunter Greene and a two-homer, five-RBI day from Tyler Stephenson, the Reds routed the Rockies, 8-1, Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. “(Greene had) a good fastball — upper 90s — a hard slider,” manager Bud Black told reporters.

Andrew Munson had a Michael Malone moment Monday. It was the first day of minicamp for the Nuggets’ Summer League team. Munson has worked closely with Malone for almost nine years, first as a video intern and now as Denver’s special assistant to the head coach. But Summer League is a time for aspiring coaches to get reps, too — not just burgeoning players.

If Jamal Murray is concerned at all by the pause in contract extension talks with the Nuggets, he didn’t show it Wednesday. “When we get there, we get there,” Murray said after the Canadian national team’s exhibition in Las Vegas. “I’m playing games right now for Canada, so that’s not on my mind.” Canada jumped to an 11-1 lead but lost 86-72 to the United States in the friendly showcase game ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Editor’s note: Fourth in a series previewing the Broncos’ position groups entering training camp. Today, tight ends. Previous previews: quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.  On the roster (five-plus): Nate Adkins, Greg Dulcich, Lucas Krull, Adam Trautman and Thomas Yassmin, plus fullback Michael Burton. How many on the 53? Three or four plus Burton. Most impactful offseason move: Choosing Bo Nix at No.