Denver Nuggets realize defending their NBA championship will be a tough task in improved West

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets met coach Michael Malone's challenge not to let up after winning the franchise's first NBA title.

Nikola Jokic somehow got even better with another historic season that made him the odds-on favorite to win the MVP award for the third time in four years, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all stepped up their games this season and Jamal Murray had another terrific year despite missing 23 games with various ailments.

Reggie Jackson took over as leader of the Nuggets' second unit following Bruce Brown's departure in free agency and he teamed with Chris Braun and Peyton Watson to provide steady — and sometimes spectacular — play during the non-Jokic minutes.

“I'm most proud of the fact that as reigning world champion we haven't been satisfied the whole year,” Malone said. “You gotta stay hungry because we have 29 teams right behind us trying to take what we have. And you need the requisite mindset, energy, focus, discipline, urgency, whatever you want to call it, and we had it.”

The Nuggets bumped their win total by four, finishing 57-25, tied with Oklahoma City for best in the West, but the Thunder won the tiebreaker, so Denver dropped from the top seed a year ago to No. 2.

Malone found a silver lining in the slip: this time around, the Nuggets already know who their first-round opponent will be when they begin their title defense Saturday night, something they didn't know until 48 hours before the playoffs began last year.

The team gathered at Jokic's home Tuesday night to drink a little rakija and watch the play-in game in New Orleans that the Los Angeles Lakers won 110-106, earning a first-round matchup against the reigning champs.

“There's a bullseye on our backs even more so now,” Malone said Wednesday. “... That was our message today: Don't let anybody in these playoffs take what we worked so hard to get.”

Starting with LeBron James & Co.

Malone acknowledges how daunting a task it is to become the league's first back-to-back champion since Golden State in 2018.

“The Western Conference playoffs are going to be insane," Malone said. "Forget seeding, the numbers in front of each team, throw them out the window. There's going to be eight really talented teams and there's a number of teams that I wouldn't be surprised to see coming out of the West because that's how deep and talented it is.”

The Nuggets swept the Lakers in the Western Conference finals last year, leaving James muttering about retirement. Denver won all three matchups this season and hasn't lost to LA since Dec. 16, 2022.

“Can we not mention that anymore?” Jokic asked with a laugh.

Amen, said his coach.

“Everyone keeps talking about how we've beaten them eight games in a row, and as I told our players today, that doesn't mean anything,” Malone said. “This is a different team, a different series and we know what we have in front of us. It's going to be a hell of a challenge to beat the Lakers again in the playoffs.”

It wasn't easy sweeping them last year, said Jokic.

And this time, he said, "there is no favorite. It can both both ways.”

After coasting to the top seed in the West a year ago, the Nuggets found themselves in a dogfight with the Thunder and Timberwolves in a much tougher conference where nine of the top 10 teams won more games that they did last season.

Malone adopted the mantra that he'd rather have optimal health heading into the playoffs than the No. 1 seed, reasoning the Nuggets could beat anyone anywhere anytime regardless of seeding.

So, now they don't have the No. 1 seed but they're rested and ready for another grueling run. Malone sat plenty of his starters down the stretch and didn't rush Murray back from a sore knee that sidelined him for seven games.

Plus, they have this week to recuperate from the rigors of a season in which they took everyone's best shot and still finished 33-8 at home, tied with Oklahoma City for best home record in the West, and they swept their two-game season set with the Boston Celtics, the top seed out East.

“The fact that we didn't rest off last year, that we challenged ourselves to be even better,” is what he's proudest of, Malone said. “That's what you fear was going into this year. You win a championship, first in franchise history. Do you come up for air? Do you exhale? Do you relax?”

No, no and no.

Another thing that didn't bog them down was the MVP chatter that got to Jokic last year when he lost out to Joel Embiid before winning the more cherished Finals MVP trophy.

With Embiid getting hurt earlier this year, the steady Jokic became an overwhelming favorite for the MVP award ahead of Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dallas' Luka Doncic.

“I think I’m playing good basketball," Jokic said in his usual understated manner. “The team is playing good basketball.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., front right, shoots over San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, left, and guard Tre Jones (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Friday, April 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone shouts during in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Salt Lake City. . (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Friday, April 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) handles the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson, front left, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Denver Nuggets realize defending their NBA championship will be a tough task in improved West

Denver Nuggets realize defending their NBA championship will be a tough task in improved West

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s hush money trial resumed Tuesday with Judge Juan M. Merchan first ruling on prosecutors' prior request to hold the former president in contempt of court over alleged violations of a gag order that bars him from speaking publicly about witnesses and jurors in the case.

Merchan ruled that Trump violated the gag order nine times and fined him $9,000. He will hold another hearing Thursday on four more alleged violations brought forth by prosecutors.

Gary Farro — the prosecution's third witness and a banker who helped Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen open accounts — returned to the witness stand shortly thereafter to resume his testimony from last week.

Cohen used one such account to buy the silence of porn performer Stormy Daniels. She alleged a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, which he denies.

The first week of testimony was the scene-setter for jurors: Manhattan prosecutors portrayed what they say was an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 presidential campaign by burying negative stories.

For his part, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee has been campaigning in his off-hours, but is required to be in court when it is in session, four days a week.

The charges center on $130,000 in payments that Trump’s company made to Cohen. Prosecutors say Trump obscured the true nature of those payments and falsely recorded them as legal expenses.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

The case is the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president and the first of four prosecutions of Trump to reach a jury.

Currently:

— Key players: Who’s who at Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial

— The hush money case is just one of Trump’s legal cases. See the others here

— These people were charged with interfering in the 2020 election. Some are still in politics today

— The National Enquirer was the go-to American tabloid for many years. Donald Trump helped change that

— Trump and DeSantis meet to make peace and discuss fundraising for the former president’s campaign

Here's the latest:

Defense attorneys began their cross-examination of Gary Farro, the prosecution's third witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial, by asking the banker to describe his relationship with Michael Cohen.

Farro said he first met Cohen — then serving as the former president's personal lawyer — in person at a meeting in Trump Tower, but primarily communicated over the phone. Pushed by Todd Blanche, Farro acknowledged that Cohen wasn’t always easy to work with.

“He was a challenging client because of his desire to get things done so quickly,” Farro said. “Ninety percent of the time it was an urgent matter.”

Prosecutors have wrapped up questioning of Gary Farro, their third witness in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial.

Farro told prosecutors on Tuesday that Michael Cohen had indicated that a 2016 $130,000 wire payment now at the heart of the case was related to a real estate transaction — not a political candidate, an adult film performer or buying up a potential media story.

“We might consider something like that a reputational risk,” Farro said.

Within a day of opening the Essential Consultants LLC bank account on Oct. 26, 2016 — and funding it with about $130,000 from his own home equity loan — Cohen wired out $130,000 to Keith Davidson, then a lawyer for Stormy Daniels, documents showed.

The 2016 presidential election was on Nov. 8.

Donald Trump's son Eric joined his father in court on Tuesday, marking the first time any of the former president's family members have attended his criminal hush money trial.

Prior to court proceedings resuming, Trump turned from the defense table and walked over to his son in the first row of the gallery. Trump put his hand on Eric's arm as they chatted.

Trump had railed about the trial, as well as his other legal cases, to reporters on his way into the courtroom earlier in the morning.

Testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial resumed with Gary Farro, a banker who helped Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen open accounts. Cohen used one such account to buy the silence of porn performer Stormy Daniels in the weeks before the 2016 election. She alleged a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, which he denies.

Cohen indicated the account, opened in late October 2016 in the name of Essential Consultants LLC, would be used for real estate consulting, according to testimony and documents shown at the trial.

In response to prosecutor Becky Mangold’s questions, Farro said the bank would have asked more questions if there had been any mention of a connection to a political candidate, buying a story that was being pitched to the media or paying a porn performer.

The additional scrutiny would have delayed or even nixed opening the account, which Cohen had wanted to open right away. In particular, the adult film world “is an industry we don’t work with,” he said.

With only real estate in the picture, the account was opened within a day — “very quick,” Farro said.

Judge Juan M. Merchan found that one of Donald Trump's online posts about his former lawyer Michael Cohen and porn actor Stormy Daniels did not violate a gag order barring him from speaking publicly about jurors and witnesses in his hush money case.

Merchan wrote that he was finding Trump “in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying a lawful mandate” of the court on nine separate occasions for posts made on Truth Social and his campaign website.

Merchan ruled that Trump’s April 10 post referring to Cohen and Daniels as “sleaze bags” was not a gag order violation. He said Trump’s contention that he was responding to previous posts by Cohen “is sufficient to give” him pause “as to whether the People have met their burden” as to that post.

However, the other nine “attack the credibility of arguably two of the more high-profile witnesses in this case.”

“To allow such attacks upon protected witnesses with blanket assertions that they are all responses to ‘political attacks’ would be an exception that swallowed the rule. The Expanded Order does not contain such an exception,” Merchan wrote.

Judge Juan M. Merchan ruled Tuesday morning that Donald Trump violated a gag order barring him from making public statements about witnesses and jurors in his hush money trial nine times. He fined the former president $9,000 for the violations.

Prosecutors had alleged the former president had violated the order 10 times, and Merchan concurred in all but one of those instances. The judge will hold a hearing Thursday on four more alleged violations.

The former president stared down at the table in front of him as Merchan read the ruling, frowning slightly but otherwise showing no expression.

Merchan wrote in his ruling that Trump “is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders” and raised the possibility of jail time if “necessary and appropriate under the circumstances.”

Judge Juan M. Merchan said Tuesday morning that Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial will not be held on May 17 so that the former president can attend his son's graduation.

“I don’t think the May 17 date is a problem, so Mr. Trump can certainly attend that date, attend his son’s graduation,” Merchan said.

Trump had previously requested the day off from court to accommodate his son Barron's high school graduation.

Donald Trump's motorcade arrived Tuesday morning at the courthouse in lower Manhattan just before 9 a.m., kicking off the second week of witness testimony in the former president's hush money trial.

A crowd of around 60 Trump supporters had gathered across the street from the building, waving Trump and American flags on tall poles.

Donald Trump entered his motorcade outside Trump Tower in midtown, headed to the courthouse in lower Manhattan for the second week of trial testimony.

The former president on Tuesday will be in court for testimony from the third prosecution witness, Gary Farro, a banker who helped Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen open accounts.

Cohen used one to buy the silence of porn performer Stormy Daniels. She alleged a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, which he denies.

Judge Juan M. Merchan may decide this week on prosecutors’ request to fine Trump for what they say were violations of a gag order that bars him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the case.

The judge also has set a hearing Thursday on another batch of alleged gag order violations.

In an order first made in March and later revised, Merchan barred Trump from making public statements about probable trial witnesses “concerning their potential participation in the investigation or in this criminal proceeding.”

Merchan’s order didn’t give specific examples of what types of statements about witnesses were banned. He noted the order was not intended to prevent the former president from responding to political attacks.

The gag order also barred Trump from making public statements of any type about jurors, court staff, lawyers in the case or relatives of prosecutors or of the judge.

Defense lawyers in Donald Trump’s hush money trial dug Friday into assertions of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.

The first week of testimony was the scene-setter for jurors: Manhattan prosecutors portrayed what they say was an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 presidential campaign by burying negative stories. Now prosecutors are working on filling in the details of how they believe Trump and his allies pulled it off.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker’s testimony last week provided jurors with a stunning inside look at the supermarket tabloid’s “catch-and-kill” practice of purchasing the rights to stories so they never see the light of day.

Trump’s longtime executive assistant, Rhona Graff, told jurors she recalled seeing Stormy Daniels in a reception area of Trump Tower, though the date of the visit wasn’t clear.

Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (Eduardo Munoz/Pool Photo via AP)

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)

Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)

Gary Farro, a private client adviser who previously worked at First Republic Bank, testifies on the witness stand in Manhattan criminal court, Friday, April 26, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Former President Donald Trump, followed by his attorney Todd Blanche, exits the courtroom during his trial at Manhattan criminal court , Friday, April 26, 2024, in New York. (Curtis Means/DailyMail.com via AP)

Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before his trial in New York, Friday, April 26, 2024. (Dave Sanders/The New York Times via AP, Pool)