Bennett Durando is the Denver Nuggets beat writer for The Denver Post. Before moving to Colorado, where he started as The Post's Avalanche beat writer, he covered SEC football, basketball and other sports for five years: first reporting on his alma mater, Missouri, for the St.
DENVER , CO – JANUARY 29: Head coach David Adelman of the Denver Nuggets reacts to Zeke Nnaji being whistled for fouling Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 107-103 win at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
mind was far from Memphis. He could have flown home to Serbia and back, he realized, in the time the Nuggets had been stranded in a southern snowstorm.and other booby traps hidden in the walls of Ball Arena. If they’re able to snatch the Larry O’Brien Trophy, a boulder might chase them through the streets of Denver on their parade route. Their most recent obstacle was the weather. Originally scheduled to fly into Memphis last Saturday, play a matinee game Sunday, then fly home immediately afterward, the team ended up stuck in the Tennessee city for an entire weekend getaway. Without ever playing a game. “We know Memphis well now,” coach David Adelman said in his signature dry tone. “We know it in the snow. We know it in the heat. We know the hotel well. I know where to go there. Spent a lot of time there. So I have an expectation of going back there and having a great time.” The Nuggets will be back on March 18 for what they hope will be a much shorter visit to make up their postponed game against the Grizzlies. In the meantime, at least they have the memories of last weekend. The warm, fuzzy memories.As winter storms threatened huge swaths of the country, the Nuggets tried to get ahead of the weather by changing their travel plans out of Milwaukee. They flew to Memphis late last Friday night after a win over the Bucks instead of following their original itinerary, which was to spend that night in Wisconsin. On Saturday, some of the team went to the gym for player development work in Memphis. It was a typical, casual off day between games. No formal practice. “Then it really froze,” Adelman said. “Then it became like, skeleton crew everywhere. Not a lot of places open. So Sunday was a tough one. … By the time the game was canceled, the city is frozen and there’s nobody at the arena.” And because it was an afternoon game, Denver had no shootaround plans for the morning. Players hadn’t been on their feet. They wouldn’t be for the rest of the day after the postponement, which was announced about three hours before tip. For Denver sports fans, that cleared the schedule for uninterrupted Broncos playoff consumption. For the Nuggets, it set up a free-for-all. Some players got together to watch the AFC and NFC title games at the team hotel together. Some told The Denver Post they ventured out into the cold — it wasn’t actually that snowy by Colorado standards — and found bars around Beale Street where they could post up. Most were closed. Memphis, which is not exactly considered a favorite travel destination for NBA teams in the first place, had turned into a complete ghost town. “Went to a little cafe that was open down the street,” Julian Strawther said. “Walked over there in the snow.” “Lot of video games,” Jamal Murray added. “I think some guys watched some football. I don’t really watch football. So I just stayed in my room.” “In the South, it’s just the infrastructure isn’t . And it makes sense,” Adelman said. “Why would they be ready for a snowstorm or an ice storm? So it just was one of those things you’ll remember in the NBA years from now.” Dreams of an efficient return to Denver became nightmares. At first, the Nuggets hoped they would be able to fly out of Memphis on Sunday night as planned. But fights were grounded around the country. Elsewhere in the NBA, the Mavericks were stuck in Dallas, tardy to a game in Milwaukee that was eventually postponed. “It was good for to be off their feet. There’s no question about that. I just think the mental part of it was really hard,” Adelman said. “We kept giving them updates that we were gonna leave. And then that update would turn into an hour later, and then a day later, then an hour later. On and on and on.”The Nuggets finally bused to the airport on Monday afternoon, arriving at 2 p.m. local time. Parked planes needed to be de-iced, though. Another four hours were spent sitting on the plane, waiting. Waiting.Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon to miss another 4-6 weeks with hamstring injuryKeeler: Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. trade has new winner: Peyton WatsonAccording to Altitude Sports reporter and analyst Katy Winge, who travels with the team, takeoff was at 5:48 p.m. CT. The Detroit Pistons were waiting in Colorado. The next game was 24 hours away. “We didn’t move ,” Murray said. “And then we came back into Denver and faced a really good team at altitude.” They finally landed safely at 7 p.m. MT Monday, after more than 60 hours in Memphis and a 0-0 record to show for it.Snow plow lost control in I-70 crash that killed 1, injured 8, including youth hockey team membersFor years, Colorado Medicaid mistakenly paid a program's providers several times too much -- costing millionsSeveral Denver-area school districts delayed or closed over staff absences from ICE Out protestsJury finds former Colorado senator guilty of four felonies for faked letters of support in probe New Colorado red flag law expansion -- allowing more people to seek a gun-removal order -- clears first hurdle
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NBA Sets New Date for Canceled Nuggets-Grizzlies GameThe Denver Nuggets have a new date for their re-scheduled matchup vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.
Read more »
NBA sets new date for postponed Nuggets-Grizzlies game, adding 17th back-to-back for DenverBennett Durando is the Denver Nuggets beat writer for The Denver Post. Before moving to Colorado, where he started as The Post's Avalanche beat writer, he covered SEC football, basketball and other sports for five years: first reporting on his alma mater, Missouri, for the St.
Read more »
Nuggets Spoil Michael Porter Jr's Homecoming in Win Over NetsThe Denver Nuggets pulled out a win over Michael Porter Jr. and the Brooklyn Nets.
Read more »
Murray scores 27, Nuggets beat Nets 107-103 in Porter's return to DenverJamal Murray scored nine of his 27 points in the final 2:26, and the Nuggets spoiled Michael Porter Jr.'s return to Denver with a 107-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.
Read more »
Nuggets beat Nets 107-103 in Porter's return to DenverThe Nuggets spoiled Michael Porter Jr.'s return to Denver with a 107-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.
Read more »
Clippers Injury Report vs. Nuggets: Latest on Kawhi Leonard & Nikola JokicBoth the LA Clippers and the Denver Nuggets will be short-handed for their Friday clash.
Read more »