Lawson, Wilson have minor injuries

Currently the hottest team in the NBA this side of South Beach, the Denver Nuggets may be undermanned in coming days as Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler deal with minor injuries. Riding a 13-game win streak, the team announced the news Wednesday.

Lawson suffered a bruised heel in Tuesday night's game against Oklahoma City Thunder, while a recent MRI revealed Chandler has first-degree joint separation in his left shoulder. X-rays came back negative on Chandler, a positive sign on the severity of the injury.

Both players are officially listed as day-to-day.

Arguably Denver's most important player, Lawson has missed just one game this season as he's led the team to contention. The Nuggets beat the Clippers by 14 points on New Year's Day despite his absence, which was the result of a sore Achilles tendon.

With the Nuggets still embroiled in a competitive race for seeding in the West, detailed by Denver Stiffs, SB Nation's Nuggets blog, getting healthy will be of major importance.

Denver's next game is Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sacramento Kings will visit the Pepsi Center on Saturday.

Avs host Stars tonight

The Dallas Stars ended an ugly losing streak - and a severe offensive slump - their last time out, earning a crucial win in their battle to make the playoffs.

They may have a good chance to make it two in a row Wednesday night when they visit the sliding and defensively challenged Colorado Avalanche, losers of three straight at home.

Dallas (13-12-3) defeated Calgary 4-3 on Monday, ending a four-game skid in which it was outscored 16-3. The Stars were coming off an 8-1 home defeat to Chicago on Saturday.

"It was a big win. I thought we clawed our way a little bit to the surface here, we still got a few feet to go," coach Glen Gulutzan said. "We were doing simple things to win the game, our leadership was real good throughout. We have to continue with that mindset."

Gulutzan's team is just outside the extremely crowded playoff picture in the Western Conference, in which every spot from third through eighth is very much in play.

Loui Eriksson scored twice for the Stars and Kari Lehtonen, making his eighth straight start, made 16 saves. Lehtonen did enough to hold off the Flames, who nearly erased the Stars' 3-0 lead after the first period with two goals in the second.

"Every game is huge right now, the race is so tight," Lehtonen said. "It's an exciting time to be a hockey player and we just have to build on this."

Facing the Avalanche (10-14-4) may provide the perfect opportunity to do so. Dallas has struggled to maintain offensive consistency, but Colorado has dropped a season-high four straight while allowing 20 goals.

The Avalanche lost 5-2 to the Blackhawks on Monday to fall into last place in the West, two points behind the Flames.

"It's been a tough week no doubt. But we're the guys that dug ourselves this hole," said captain Gabriel Landeskog, who scored the first short-handed goal of his career in the opening period. "We've got to dig ourselves out of it. We win together and we lose together. That's the way it is."

Colorado had allowed 11 goals in the five games prior to the losing streak.

"Tonight was a pretty good display of one team playing with lots of confidence and the other team didn't. ... Somehow we need to get it back," forward Milan Hejduk said. "We are in the hole right now and we have to get out of it. Next chance Wednesday night against Dallas."

Landeskog has scored one goal in each of his last three games. Leading scorer Matt Duchene extended his point streak to four Monday and has five goals and seven assists in his past seven contests.

Dallas took the first meeting of the season with Colorado 3-2 on Feb. 4 for its second straight road victory in the series. Jamie Benn had two goals and an assist while Lehtonen made 29 saves.

Lehtonen has given up two goals in five of his last six starts against the Avalanche, going 4-2-0.

The Feb. 4 win began a 6-2-1 road stretch for the Stars. The Avs have allowed 15 goals during their three-game home skid.

DU men's basketball nets first-ever playoff win

They exited the WAC Tournament abruptly and didn't get an invite to dance in March Madness. However, the DU Pioneers plan to keep playing through the postseason in another tournament.

DU's sophomore guard Cam Griffin recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday night, as the Pioneers defeated Ohio 61-57 in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament at Magness Arena.

The victory was DU's first-ever in the postseason, and the Pioneers (22-9) will now advance to take on Maryland in the NIT Second Round in College Park, Md., on Thursday at 5 p.m. MT.

Former Highlands Ranch star Brett Olson had 15 points and three steals, 10 of which came in the second half, and junior Chris Udofia scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and blocked three shots, including one with a one-point lead with 21 seconds remaining.

"I thought it was a very good college basketball game, a great postseason game with two good teams," head coach Joe Scott said. "Ohio has such a veteran team, which is something I kept stressing to our guys. We tried to use that as a positive for us, instead of shying away from it. We told our guys, they have been here and done it, we need that experience they have. We were in a fight with them all night, and I thought our guys responded really well."

CU women keep working towards tourney opener Saturday

Colorado's women's basketball team continues preparing for its N-C-Double-A Tournament opener. The Buffaloes have the fifth seed in the Norfolk Region. They play twelfth-seeded Kansas at the Coors Events Center on Saturday at four-forty. The winner of this game plays in Boulder on Monday against either fourth-seeded South Carolina or thirteenth-seeded South Dakota State.

Eagles take on Aces tonight

In the E-C-H-L tonight, the Eagles host the Alaska Aces at Budweiser Events Center at seven-oh-five. This marks the first of three straight games between the two teams in Colorado.

Rockies Hold Down Royals

(Surprise, AZ) -- Juan Nicasio allowed one run over five innings as the Rockies dropped the Royals, 7-2. Corey Dickerson had a pair of doubles and two RBI for Colorado. Nolan Arenado went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. The Rox have today off. They face the Giants in Scottsdale tomorrow night.

Rapids Prepare For Galaxy

(Commerce City, CO) -- The Rapids continue to train this week for Saturday night's road match with the LA Galaxy. Colorado is seeking its first win of the season after grabbing its first point last week with a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake. The Rapids are 0-2-and-1 on the campaign. Saturday's match starts at 8:30.

Buffs Prepare For Illinois

(Austin, TX) -- Colorado is getting set for its first NCAA Tournament game against Illinois. The tenth-seeded Buffaloes battle the seventh-seeded Fighting Illini on Friday from Austin, Texas at 2:40. The winner advances to play either second-seeded Miami-Florida or 15th-seeded Pacific in the next round on Sunday.

Avs Host Stars Tonight

(Denver, CO) -- The Avalanche host the Dallas Stars at Pepsi Center this evening. Colorado dropped its fourth straight on Monday night with a loss to the Blackhawks. The Avs are now 10-14-and-4 and sit last in the West, six points out of the eighth and final playoff spot. The Stars are 13-12-and-3 this year. Tonight's game starts at 7:30.

Wilson Chandler Hurt As Nuggets Win

(Oklahoma City, OK) -- The Nuggets' 13th straight win could have come at a price. ESPN reports that swingman Wilson Chandler suffered a separated left shoulder in the fourth quarter. Chandler scored nine points in 23 minutes before departing, one night after dropping a career-high 35 points against the Bulls. His status is currently up in the air.

Nuggets Roll Thunder, Run Streak To 13 Games

Ty Lawson posted 25 points as the Nuggets grabbed a 114-104 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Kenneth Faried added 13 points and 15 rebounds for Denver, which handed OKC just its fifth home loss of the season in 35 games. The Nuggs moved to 47-and-22 with their 13th straight win. Denver hosts the 76ers tomorrow night.

Broncos, Ravens Both In On Dumervil

Broncos EVP John Elway says the team has made a contract offer to defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Elway would not go into details about the proposal. The 29-year-old Dumervil was released last week due to a clerical error and is now a free-agent. The "Denver Post" reports that the Baltimore Ravens are also negotiating a deal with Dumervil.