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Nuggets treating NBA Finals closeout chance as must-win situation: Act like we’re down 3-1

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

If coaching doesn’t work out — and there’s little evidence to suggest it won’t — perhaps Nuggets coach Michael Malone can take up a career in psychology.Before the Nuggets took part in shooting contests and basic drills as part of their practice Sunday, Malone relayed a message as they’ll vie for their first-ever NBA championship on Monday night at Ball Arena.“My biggest concern going into any close-out game is human nature and fighting against that,” he said. “You’re up 3-1. Most teams, when you’re up 3-1, they come up for air. They relax and they just kind of take it for granted that, oh, we’re going to win this.”The Nuggets don’t have to look very far for recent examples of teams blowing commanding leads in the postseason. They stormed back, twice, in the Orlando bubble in 2020, against the Jazz and the Clippers, who each owned 3-1 leads against Denver. But the Nuggets wound up on the right side of history that year and forged their way to the conference finals....

Authorities shut down illegal internet café in San Bernardino 

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

The San Bernardino Police Department’s Multiple Enforcement Team (MET) shut down an illegal internet café in San Bernardino on Friday. According to a tweet put out by the San Bernardino Police Department, members of a criminal street gang were operating the café. MET officers were able to recover $7,000 and a stolen firearm during the search, police said. The San Bernardino Police Department’s Multiple Enforcement Team (MET) shut down an illegal internet café in San Bernardino on Friday. (SBSD)The San Bernardino Police Department’s Multiple Enforcement Team (MET) shut down an illegal internet café in San Bernardino on Friday. (SBSD)The San Bernardino Police Department’s Multiple Enforcement Team (MET) shut down an illegal internet café in San Bernardino on Friday. (SBSD) Search for suspect underway after ‘bright and smart’ 16-year-old fatally shot outside South L.A. party In addition, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area of Wilson and 11th Streets. Upon ...

Photos: Athletes compete in 42nd annual Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

Athletes from across the globe took part in the 42nd annual Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon on Saturday and Sunday in San Francisco.Showcasing the beauty of the Bay Area, the triathletes embarked on a 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco shoreline, an 18-mile hilly bike ride out to Golden Gate Park and an 8-mile trail run to Baker Beach and up the infamous Sand Ladder. This world-renowned race, in which only 2,000 triathletes can participate, sells out quickly each year.The highly-anticipated weekend brought athletes, fans and spectators from all over the world to witness the great Escape while enjoying a variety of activities taking place throughout the weekend.“We are thrilled to present an incredible lineup of activities at this year’s Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon weekend, in addition to witnessing some of the world’s greatest athletes compete in one of the most iconic bucket-list races,” said Jennifer Lau, Vice President of IMG Action Sports.As one of the wor...

One dead, six injured after gunfire breaks out at teen birthday party in Antioch

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

One person was killed and six others were injured by gunfire after a teen birthday party in Antioch turned violent early Sunday morning.According to the Antioch Police Department, a 19-year-old male was hosting a birthday party on Sunset Lane near Mountaire Park. Uninvited guests arrived at the party and, sometime close to 1 a.m., multiple shots were fired.Officers began receiving reports of gunshots at 12:58 a.m. When they arrived on the scene, they were told that multiple people had been shot. According to police, the shots created a chaotic scene in which young party-goers, including those hit by gunfire, were fleeing in all directions into the neighborhood.The suspects also fled the area in a vehicle before police arrived at the party.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | School shootings are a real threat — so these Bay Area students invented a technology to fight back Crime and Public Safety | Nine people shot in San Francisco’s Mission Dis...

McCutchen gets 2,000th hit, Pirates ride Keller to 2-1 victory over struggling Mets

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — If he’s being honest, Andrew McCutchen thought he’d have gotten to 2,000 hits long ago. During the Pittsburgh Pirates star’s run as one of the best players in the game in the early 2010s — a stretch in which electric centerfielder won an MVP and was an All-Star five times — the hits came so easily it seemed as if they’d never stop.Then, well, “baseball happened.” Pitchers adjusted. The magic he once summoned so regularly waned. He bounced around from city to city and position to position.Peace arrived in January when McCutchen returned to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal. He vowed to appreciate his second stint in his adopted hometown more than he did his first. That’s what made the moment when his 2,000th hit — a sharp single to left leading off the bottom of the first in a 2-1 win over New York on Sunday — so sweet.McCutchen was just a 22-year-old kid on June 4, 2009, when he fisted an 0-2 pitch from New York starter Mike Pelfrey ...

De La Cruz flashes speed, sparks Reds over Cardinals 4-3

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rookie Elly De La Cruz flashed his speed, getting two hits, reaching base four times and scoring the go-ahead run with a headfirst slide on an eighth-inning grounder to spark the Cincinnati Reds over the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 on Sunday.De La Cruz beat out an infield single in the first inning with 31.2 foot per second sprint speed, and the 21-year-old tied the score 2-2 with an RBI single in the third off 41-year-old Adam Wainwright.De La Cruz walked in the sixth, stole second and scored on Tyler Stephenson’s single to tie the score 3-3. Then in the eighth, De La Cruz walked on a full-count offering from Jordan Hicks (1-4) leading off, advanced on Spencer Steer’s groundout and took third on Willson Contreras’ passed ball.With the infield in, Stephenson hit a two-hopper to Paul DeJong, and the shortstop’s throw was slightly up the first-base line and in the dirt. The ball bounced off Contreras’ mitt as the catcher tried for a swipe tag...

Egypt’s Al Ahly wins 11th African club title with late goal to deny defending champion Wydad

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Egypt’s Al Ahly won a record-extending 11th African club title on Sunday as a late header by defender Mohamed Abdelmonem wrestled the crown away from defending champion Wydad at its home stadium in Morocco.Abdelmonem’s 78th-minute goal saw the second leg of the African Champions League final end 1-1 and gave Al Ahly a 3-2 aggregate win.It is the Egyptian giant’s third title in four years and was revenge for a loss to Wydad at the same Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca in the one-off final a year ago.Yahia Attiyat Allah put Wydad ahead in the 27th minute when his left-footed free kick from out on the right side drifted past everyone and into the far corner of the net.At 1-0 on the night, Wydad was winning on away goals. The Wydad fans let off fireworks from that point on, causing referee Bamlak Tessema Weyesa to have to stop the game for a few minutes in the second half for the smoke to clear.Abdelmonem ended the celebrations for the home fan...

Another horse dies at Belmont Park, 2nd fatality in 24 hours after Belmont Stakes

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

Arcangelo, with jockey Javier Castellano, crosses the finish line to win the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)(AP/Seth Wenig) Arcangelo, with jockey Javier Castellano, crosses the finish line to win the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)(AP/Seth Wenig) NEW YORK (AP) — Another horse has died after racing at Belmont Park, the second fatality in 24 hours after the Belmont Stakes.Mashnee Girl fell near the quarter pole and sustained a catastrophic injury to her left front leg, according to New York Racing Association spokesman Pat McKen...

Castellanos’ homer helps Phillies to series win over Dodgers

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Castellanos homered, Trea Turner had three hits and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 on Sunday.Bryce Harper had two hits, an RBI and reached base all four times to help the defending NL champion Phillies win the finale of the three-game series for their seventh victory in eight games.“This is the kind of baseball we knew we could play,” Turner said. Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward went deep for the Dodgers, who have lost six of eight and dropped 3 1/2 games behind first-place Arizona in the NL West.The Dodgers aren’t panicking.“We’re a good team and we know it,” Freeman said. A sellout crowd of 44,287 made their way to the ballpark in spite of the traffic woes caused by the collapse of I-95 North in Northeast Philadelphia. The site of the collapse is about 15 miles north of Citizens Bank Park, and the road is a major route for fans traveling to the stadium complex in South Philadelphia that is the home to the Phillies, 76ers, Flye...

Verona beats Spezia in Serie A relegation playoff, Ranieri’s Cagliari promoted

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:49:48 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Hellas Verona will continue to play in the Italian top flight next season after it beat Spezia 3-1 in a relegation playoff on Sunday, sending its opponent down to Serie B.Cyril Ngonge scored twice to help Verona secure its Serie A status. Spezia had a chance to get back into the match midway through the second period after Verona defender Marco Davide Faraoni was sent off but M’Bala Nzola saw his penalty saved.Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari will be one of the teams that replaces Spezia in Serie A after it beat Bari in a promotion playoff.Both Verona and Spezia finished the regular season level on points, on either side of the relegation zone. Under new rules there was a playoff to decide who would join last-place Sampdoria and Cremonese in being relegated.If the rules hadn’t been changed, Spezia would have stayed up as it had the better head-to-head record.It was the first relegation playoff since 2005, when Parma beat Bologna over two legs.This was a one-off match in Reggi...