Jokic’s 28 points lead Nuggets past Thunder 128-95 in Holmgren’s 1st regular-season home game

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Jokic’s 28 points lead Nuggets past Thunder 128-95 in Holmgren’s 1st regular-season home game OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder are a young, talented team on the rise. The defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets showed them just how much work they have ahead to reach that elite level.Nikola Jokic had 28 points and 14 rebounds to help the Nuggets roll past the Thunder 128-95 on Sunday for their third straight win to open the season.“They’re defending champs, and they’re not that by fluke,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They play the right way on both ends of the floor and they are a really good basketball team. They came to play tonight. We weren’t good enough to compete against them.”Michael Porter Jr. had 20 points and nine rebounds and Jamal Murray added 19 points and eight assists for the Nuggets, who shot 60.2% from the field.Denver coach Michael Malone liked the energy the Nuggets brought.“Winning a championship, the one thing you worry about is thinking we can just show up this year and we’re going to win,” he said. “And that’s not the case. Th...

Clemson running back Will Shipley in concussion protocol after hit at North Carolina State

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Clemson running back Will Shipley in concussion protocol after hit at North Carolina State CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson starting tailback Will Shipley is in concussion protocol after a hard hit to the helmet in a loss to North Carolina and his status against No. 12 Notre Dame this week is uncertain. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said scans on Shipley’s neck, which snapped forward in the hit, came back well and that “was good news on him.”In the second quarter, Shipley ran for 11 yards to the Wolfpack 1 when he was turned around and North Carolina State defensive back Shyheim Battle hit the runner as he was close to the ground. Shipley lay on the field for a few moments before walking off under his own power. He did not return as Clemson went on to a 24-17 loss. Swinney said Sunday it would be later in the week before he knows if Shipley could face the Fighting Irish at Death Valley this weekend. Shipley is a 5-foot-11, 210 pound junior who leads Clemson with 515 yards. The all-ACC runner is considered one of the top NFL draft prospects at running back should he decide t...

Morata scores again as Atletico tops Alaves to tie record of 14 straight home wins in Spanish league

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Morata scores again as Atletico tops Alaves to tie record of 14 straight home wins in Spanish league MADRID (AP) — Red-hot Álvaro Morata scored yet another goal and Atletico Madrid beat Alaves 2-1 for its 14th straight Spanish league victory at home on Sunday, tying its longest winning home streak.Morata scored his seventh goal in his last seven games with Atletico, which matched its winning run from a decade ago. Diego Simeone’s team had also won 14 in a row at home between May 2012 and February 2013, while still playing at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.The victory at the Metropolitano Stadium moved Atletico to third place with 25 points, three behind both Girona and Real Madrid. Madrid came from behind to win 2-1 at Barcelona in the first league “clasico” of the season on Saturday, while Girona defeated Celta Vigo 1-0 on Friday.Atletico has a game in hand because a home match against Sevilla in September was suspended because of bad weather.Atletico has won nine of its last 11 league games against Alaves, which stayed in 17th place, just outside the relegation zone. Alaves&#...

Jets stun Giants late and earn ugly 13-10 overtime win on Zuerlein’s field goal

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Jets stun Giants late and earn ugly 13-10 overtime win on Zuerlein’s field goal EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — For nearly 60 minutes, Zach Wilson and the New York Jets looked miserable on offense.Out of nowhere came two impressive throws and two clutch field goals, and the Jets somehow walked off the field winners.Barely.Greg Zuerlein kicked a 35-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and added a 33-yarder with 6:09 left in overtime as the Jets staged an unlikely comeback in a defensive struggle to stun the Giants 13-10 on a chilly, rainy Sunday.“We had no doubt going into overtime that we were going to win that game,” Wilson said.The Jets (4-3) moved 46 yards in six plays, and Zuerlein’s winning kick was set up by a pass interference penalty against Adoree Jackson that gave them a first down at the 15. Coach Robert Saleh didn’t give his offense a chance to make a mistake and Zuerlein came out and put his kick just inside the left upright for the Jets’ third straight win.“That’s how you draw it up, right?” tight end Tyler Conklin ...

Steelers lose QB Kenny Pickett to rib injury late in first half vs. Jaguars, replaced by Trubisky

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Steelers lose QB Kenny Pickett to rib injury late in first half vs. Jaguars, replaced by Trubisky PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett’s bumpy second season took another abrupt turn on Sunday when he exited a 20-10 loss to Jacksonville with a rib injury.The Steelers were driving late in the first half when Pickett was hit by Jacksonville defensive end Adam Gotsis near midfield after releasing an incomplete pass. Pickett grabbed his chest as he made his way off the field.Mitch Trubisky played the final offensive snap of the first half for Pittsburgh. Pickett came out to warm up at the start of the second half but remained on the sideline while Trubisky finished the game.Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Pickett warming up was “not reflective of (his) intentions” to play. Tomlin said he had “no understanding” on the severity of Pickett’s injury. The Steelers (4-3) host Tennessee (3-4) on Thursday night.This is the second time Trubisky has come in for Pickett this season. Trubisky played in the second half of a 30-6 loss to Houston in Week ...

Vikings beat Packers 24-10 but lose Cousins to possible Achilles tendon injury

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Vikings beat Packers 24-10 but lose Cousins to possible Achilles tendon injury GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Kirk Cousins threw a pair of touchdown passes before leaving with what the Vikings fear is an Achilles tendon injury, and Minnesota beat the slumping Green Bay Packers 24-10 on Sunday.Cousins walked gingerly to the sideline after getting sacked on consecutive plays during a series that ended with Green Bay’s Karl Brooks blocking Greg Joseph’s 44-yard field-goal attempt. Jaren Hall, a rookie fifth-round pick from BYU, took over for the rest of the game.This was the first Packers-Vikings matchup since 2006 in which both teams entered the game with losing records, but Minnesota (4-4) got back to .500 with its third straight victory.Cousins, who went 23 of 31 for 274 yards, has never missed a game because of injury in his 12-year career.Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison had touchdown receptions less than two minutes apart early in the third quarter. Cam Akers gave the Vikings their first TD run of the season in the first quarter.The Packers (2-5) start...

Trump says ‘no way’ Iowa votes against him as he flubs city’s name during state campaign stop

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Trump says ‘no way’ Iowa votes against him as he flubs city’s name during state campaign stop DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Donald Trump predicted Sunday he would win Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses in January, tossing aside what he called advisers’ caution not to overstate expectations, even as he greeted his audience by naming a city in a neighboring state. “I go around saying of course we’re going to win Iowa. My people said you cannot assume that,” Trump told his audience in the ornate Orpheum Theater in Sioux City, Iowa. “There’s no way Iowa is voting against Trump,” he said, noting the economic benefits to farm states from the tariffs his administration imposed on China. And yet, when Trump took the stage he gave a hearty hello to a city more than 80 miles north, and over the South Dakota state line. “Hello to a place where we’ve done very well, Sioux Falls. Thank you very much,” he said, before correcting himself several minutes later.It was Trump’s eighth campaign event in Iowa in a little more than a month, part of the for...

Hundreds more flights delayed, canceled out of DIA Sunday

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Hundreds more flights delayed, canceled out of DIA Sunday DENVER (KDVR) -- Hundreds of flights coming in and out of the Denver International Airport were either canceled or delayed due to a snowstorm Sunday.Sunday is another Pinpoint Weather Alert Day as several inches of snow accumulated in Denver, along the Front Range and in the mountains. Colorado snow totals for Oct. 28-29 Winter weather caused hundreds of flights in and out of the Denver airport to be delayed, and more than two dozen others to be canceled, according to Flight Aware.As of 5:40 p.m., 792 flights Sunday were delayed and an additional 26 had been canceled. Nearly half of the flights canceled were attributed to SkyWest, with 12 cancelations.But Sunday's air traffic was not affected as much as Saturday's.On Saturday a total of 1,050 flights in and out of the Denver airport were delayed and 88 were canceled.The airport warned passengers in a post Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter, to check with their airline concerning their flight status before heading to the airp...

Snow, Spook and Swifties flood into Empower Field at Mile High for Broncos vs Chiefs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Snow, Spook and Swifties flood into Empower Field at Mile High for Broncos vs Chiefs DENVER (KDVR) -- The Denver Broncos took on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High. "We’re hoping they will break the streak so these Chiefs fans go back to where they came from," Bernadette Apodaca, a Broncos fan said Sunday. Colorado snow totals for Oct. 28-29 Apodaca, wearing multiple layers, counted about six to seven in total to stay warm. "I'm also doing a little bit of drinking," Apodaca said. Last weekend it was beautiful, I was wearing shorts, but we’re Colorado so you gotta come prepared." Hundreds of other fans showed up in layered costumes. One group of fans said they bought tickets last minute for cheap because of the weather. "We got cheap tickets and it's going to be good classic American football," one fan said. Some fans told FOX31 they were thankful the snow lightened up just in time for kickoff. "We were debating to see if we wanted to come to the game, weather dependent," one fan said. "There is snow on the ground but we are comfy." The...

Blaney wins Martinsville and will race for 1st Cup title in NASCAR’s championship

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:15:37 GMT

Blaney wins Martinsville and will race for 1st Cup title in NASCAR’s championship (AP) — Ryan Blaney will race for his first Cup championship after qualifying for NASCAR’s title-deciding finale with a Sunday win at Martinsville Speedway.William Byron, who led the Cup Series with six wins this season, earned the fourth and final slot in the championship by limping to a 13th-place finish. Byron had padded his position with bonus points earned all season and edged Denny Hamlin, who finished third at Martinsville on Sunday, by eight points to qualify for NASCAR’s championship.Blaney and Byron will race Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson next Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, where the Cup championship will go to the highest-finishing driver.“I felt like we put together a really strong playoffs, especially the Round of eight,” said Blaney, who didn’t finish lower than sixth in the three-race round. “Can’t wait to get to Phoenix next week.”Larson and Byron gave Hendrick Motorsports a pair of Chevrolets in the final four, Bell is in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs...