September 16, 2020 3:51 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The Denver Nuggets have advanced to the NBA’s Western Conference finals by storming back from a three-games-to-one deficit for the second straight series.
The Nuggets trailed by two before allowing just 33 points in the second half of a 104-89 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver’s comeback follows its rally against Utah in the first round and puts the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2009. Jamal Murray poured in 40 points and Nikola Jokic had a triple-double of 22 rebounds, 16 points and 13 assists. Gary Harris and Jerami Grant each had 14 points in the win. The Nuggets limited Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to a combined 24 points, with Leonard scoring 14. Montrezl Harrell had a team-high 20 points off the bench for the Clippers, who were trying to reach the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. The Nuggets now prepare for the Lakers. Los Angeles comes off a five-game series win over the Rockets. Earlier Tuesday, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have helped the Miami Heat take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against Boston. Butler converted a three-point play with 12 seconds left in overtime to put the Heat ahead for good in a 117-114 triumph over the Celtics. Adebayo blocked Jayson Tatum’s dunk attempt in the final seconds to seal the win. Goran Dragic had 29 points, Jae Crowder scored 22 and Butler finished with 20 for Miami. The Celtics outscored the Heat 27-10 over the final 8:17 of the third quarter and led by 14 early in the fourth. Tatum scored 30 points and Marcus Smart had 26 for Boston.
September 15, 2020 3:59 am
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Ben Roethlisberger looked like his former self on Monday after missing the final 14 games of last season following elbow surgery. Roethlisberger threw for three touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers opened their schedule with a 26-16 win over the New York Giants. The Giants led 10-3 until Roethlisberger hit JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington for scores in the second quarter. It remained 16-10 when Daniel Jones engineered a 19-play drive that got the Giants near the goal line. But Bud Dupree deflected the final pass of the drive, allowing Cam Heyward to come up with the interception. Bennie Snell rushed for 113 yards on 19 carries, his first 100-yard performance in his second NFL season. He received the bulk of the carries while James Connor battled an injury. The Steelers also bottled up Saquon Barkley, who was held to six yards on 15 carries. Jones threw for 279 yards and a touchdown but was picked off twice for the Giants.
September 15, 2020 3:52 am
CINCINNATI (AP) – Rookie Tyler Stephenson hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh inning, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a doubleheader. With two outs and the bases empty, rookie Jose Garcia singled to left against Sam Howard. Manager David Bell then sent Stephenson up to hit for Shogo Akiyama, and the young catcher hit a drive to left for his second homer. In the nightcap, Mike Moustakas hit a big three-run homer in the fifth inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-4. Moustakas drove in Shogo Akiyama and Eugenio Suarez with a two-out shot to center off Nik Turley. Pittsburgh had just taken a 4-3 lead on rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes’ two-run shot with two out in the top half of the inning. Brian Goodwin and Joey Votto also connected for Cincinnati, which won a third straight game for the first time since Aug. 28.
September 15, 2020 3:56 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Dallas Stars have advanced to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 20 years. The Stars erased a two-goal deficit in the last half of the third period before Denis Gurianov scored on a one-timer during a power play 3:36 into overtime to give the Stars a 3-2 triumph over Vegas. The Stars are 5-0 in overtime this postseason. They also won 3-2 in Game 3 against Vegas, when Alexander Radulov scored 31 seconds into OT. Reilly Smith scored just 15 seconds into the third period to put the Golden Knights ahead, 2-0. The lead held until Jamie Benn scored for the first time in 11 games, beating Robin Lehner midway through the third. Rookie Joel Kiviranta tied it on a power play with 3:47 remaining in regulation. Anton Khudobin had 34 saves to help the Stars close out the Western Conference final in five games.
September 14, 2020 3:58 am
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – For the past six-plus months, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants have been working virtually and eventually on the field to get ready for a season opener that came about despite the pain, tragedy and uneasiness caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It’s been a tough road for Mike Tomlin’s Steelers and Joe Judge’s Giants heading into a nationally televised Monday night game. The path has been no easier for NFL officials. This is going to be a different year for them, too. Referee Craig Wrolstad and his crew will be handling the Steelers-Giants game.
September 14, 2020 3:53 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Brad Keller pitched his first major league shutout, tossing a five-hitter as the Kansas City Royals won their sixth in a row by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0. Keller was in total command, allowing only three hits until the ninth inning. Making his 55th career start in the big leagues, he struck two, walked one and threw 111 pitches. It was his second complete game in the majors. Salvador Perez and Hunter Dozier homered to help Kansas City win its second consecutive series after losing its previous eight. Pittsburgh lost its fourth game in a row.
September 14, 2020 3:57 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning used a quick-strike attack to take a three-games-to-one lead in the NHL’s Eastern Conference final. The Lightning are one win away from their first trip to the Stanley Cup final since 2015 following a 4-1 win over the Islanders. The Lightning’s first two goals came 12 seconds apart midway through the second period. Blake Coleman tied it 15 seconds after Brock Nelson gave the Islanders the lead. Ondrej Palat made it 2-1 at the 11:54 mark. Brayden Point added an insurance goal 3:33 into the third, returning to the ice after a one-game injury absence. Pat Maroon added an empty-netter and Andre Vasilevskiy made 26 saves for Tampa Bay. Isles netminder Semyon Varlamov was brilliant at times while stopping 32 of 35 shots. Game 5 is Tuesday.
September 14, 2020 3:55 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The Denver Nuggets have done it again, climbing back from a 3-1 deficit for the second consecutive NBA playoffs series. It was a comeback within a comeback as the Nuggets turned a 19-point, third-quarter deficit into a 13-point win over the Clippers, 111-98. Denver outscored Los Angeles, 62-27 over a dizzying 20-minute stretch of the second half. Nikola Jokic had 34 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for Denver, which also faced a 3-1 series deficit before downing Utah. Jamal Murray scored 21 for the Nuggets, who also got 16 from Gary Harris. Paul George had 33 points and Kawhi (kah-WY’) Leonard scored 25 for the Clippers.
September 13, 2020 7:12 am
PITTSBURGH — Kenny Pickett threw a touchdown pass and ran for another as Pittsburgh scored on each of its first six offensive possessions and raced to a 55-0 victory over Austin Peay at Heinz Field on Saturday. With Pittsburgh up 42-0 halftime, the teams agreed to play 10-minute quarters in the second half. Seven Panthers players were held out of the game due to COVID-19 protocol. Pickett and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple spread the love around as Pickett threw to seven receivers and six players scored touchdowns during the Panthers’ offensive explosion. A Paris Ford interception set up Pitt’s first score, a 1-yard Daniel Carter plunge. Pickett connected with Shocky Jaques-Louis on a 68-yard strike before scrambling into the end zone from six yards out to score on Pitt’s second drive. He then connected with wide-open Maryland transfer DJ Turner for a 51-yard score. Pickett finished 14 of 20 for 277 yards through the air. Freshman Jordan Addison was his most frequent target, hauling in seven catches for 35 yards.
September 13, 2020 7:14 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jarrett Doege threw three touchdown passes, Leddie Brown and Alec Sinkfield gave West Virginia’s running game a lift it hadn’t seen in quite some time, and the Mountaineers beat Eastern Kentucky 56-10 Saturday. Brown and Sinkfield both finished with career highs of 123 yards and two rushing TDs in the Mountaineers’ season opener. It marked the first time that two West Virginia players went over 100 yards in the same game since the 2017 season. West Virginia did not have a single 100-yard rusher last season and averaged just 73 yards per game as a team, the third worst in the Bowl Subdivision. West Virginia overcame the suspension earlier in the day of 11 players for reasons that were undisclosed and not related to the coronavirus pandemic. Ten of those players were on offense, including starters at wide receiver and on the offensive line.
