Former Denver Nuggets head coach Doug Moe died on Tuesday at age 87.
“The Denver Nuggets organization was devastated to learn of the passing of legendary coach Doug Moe,” the team said in a statement posted to social media. “Coach Moe was a one of a kind leader and person who spearheaded one of the most successful and exciting decades in Nuggets history.
Known for his high-octane, high-scoring teams, Moe was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 1987-88 and received the league’s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
He compiled a career record of 628-529 with the San Antonio Spurs (1976-80), Nuggets (1980-90) and Philadelphia 76ers (1992-93), making the postseason 12 times (33-50 record).
Denver reached the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons under Moe, reaching the Western Conference finals in 1985 and losing to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
The Nuggets paced the NBA in scoring six times on Moe’s watch, and his 432 wins rank second in franchise history to Michael Malone (471).
“He will forever be loved and remembered by Nuggets fans and his banner commemorating his 432 career victories as head coach will hang in the rafters to forever honor his incredible legacy,” the team statement said.
Before transitioning to coaching, Moe was an All-American forward at North Carolina who played professionally in Italy and the ABA, where he was a three- time All-Star and won a league championship with the Oakland Oaks in 1968-69.
Ex-Spartan Jackson Jr. has surgery
Recently acquired Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (Michigan State) had successful surgery on Tuesday to remove a growth in his left knee, the team announced.
The Jazz said Jackson, 26, will begin rehabilitation and be re-evaluated in four weeks. The team’s head orthopedic physician, Dr. Travis Maak, performed the procedure in Salt Lake City to remove a localized pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) growth.
The PVNS growth was discovered in a physical exam via an MRI after Utah’s eight-player trade on Feb. 3 with the Memphis Grizzlies.
A two-time All-Star, Jackson averaged 22.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in three games (all starts) with the Jazz after contributing 19.2 points and 5.8 boards in 45 games with the Grizzlies.
Drafted by Memphis with the fourth overall pick in 2018, Jackson has career averages of 18.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 455 regular-season games (446 starts). He was an All-Star in 2022-23 and 2024-25.
Jackson was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23 and is a three- time All-Defensive team selection and two-time league leader in blocked shots. He has three seasons left on a five-year, $205 million contract that also includes a player option for the 2029-30 season.
Lakers’ Ayton detained at Bahamas airport
Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was briefly detained on Tuesday at Lynden Pindling International Airport in the Bahamas on suspicion of being in possession of a small amount of marijuana, his lawyer and two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The sources said Ayton, a native of the Bahamas, had been arrested and detained after being found with marijuana. But Ayton’s lawyer, Devard Francis, told Reuters he was not arrested and only briefly detained before being released.
“The investigators saw that the actual very small amount of marijuana wasn’t in Deandre’s bag, but they still went through their investigations and he was released expeditiously,” Francis said.
Francis said the marijuana had been in someone else’s bag.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Lakers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Although the archipelago has taken steps to legalize marijuana for medical and religious purposes, the drug remains illegal in the Bahamas.
The former number one draft pick signed a two-year deal to join the Lakers last summer after stints with the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers. He missed his second consecutive game for the Lakers last Thursday. (Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington, editing by Ross Colvin, David Gregorio and Neil Fullick)
MAC men
(At) Eastern Michigan 66, Central Michigan 54: Godslove Nwabude scored a career-high 16 points to go with six rebounds and three blocked shots for Eastern Michigan.
Gregory Lawson II added 17 points and Mohammad Habhab recorded his eighth double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Local schedules
Men
Tuesday
Michigan 91, Purdue 80
Michigan State 82, UCLA 59
Eastern Michigan 66, Central Michigan 54
Akron 90, Western Michigan 73
Thursday
Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan, 7:30
Grand Valley State at Saginaw Valley State, 7:30
Wayne State at Roosevelt, 8:30
Friday
College Park at Motor City, 7
Green Bay at Oakland, 7
Milwaukee at Detroit Mercy, 7
Saturday
Michigan vs. Duke, 6:30
Davenport at Saginaw Valley State, 3
Northern Michigan at Ferris State, 3
Grand Valley State at Lake Superior State, 3
Wayne State at Parkside, 4
Eastern Michigan at Toledo, 5
Western Michigan at Central Michigan, 5
Sunday
College Park at Motor City, 3
Ohio State at Michigan State, 1
Green Bay at Detroit Mercy, 1
Milwaukee at Oakland, 3
Women
Wednesday
Northwestern at Michigan State, 6:30
Central Michigan at Miami, 7
Western Michigan at Bowling Green, 7
Oakland at Purdue Fort Wayne, 7
Thursday
Grand Valley State at Saginaw Valley State, 5:30
Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan, 5:30
Wayne State at Roosevelt, 6:30
Robert Morris at Detroit Mercy, 7
Saturday
Davenport at Saginaw Valley State, 1
Northern Michigan at Ferris State, 1
Grand Valley State at Lake Superior State, 1
Wayne State at Parkside, 2
Massachesetts at Central Michigan, 1
Northern Illinois at Western Michigan, 1
Buffalo at Eastern Michigan, 1
Robert Morris at Oakland, 2
Sunday
Michigan at Iowa, noon
Michigan State at Minnesota, 8
Detroit Mercy at IU Indy, 1
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Hoops roundup: Ex-NBA coach Doug Moe dies at 87; EMU tops CMU
Reporting by Detroit News staff and wires / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
