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Heat back to the NBA’s final four, top Knicks 96-92 for 4-2 series win

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, Bam Adebayo added 23 and the Miami Heat are headed back to the Eastern Conference finals after topping the New York Knicks 96-92 on Friday night.Max Strus scored 14 points and Kyle Lowry had 11 points and nine assists for the eighth-seeded Heat, who won the semifinal series 4-2 to go to the conference finals for the 10th time overall and the third time in the last four years.Miami became the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to make the conference finals — joining the Knicks, who pulled it off in 1999. The Heat will visit Boston or Philadelphia in Game 1 on Wednesday. The Celtics and 76ers play Game 7 of their series Sunday.Jalen Brunson was spectacular for New York, scoring 41 points on 14-for-22 shooting. But his teammates combined for only 51 points — Julius Randle had 15 and RJ Barrett 11 on 1-for-10 shooting. Josh Hart also had 11 points for the Knicks.It was dicey at the end, but Miami survived. Gabe Vincent was called for a flagrant-...

No injuries reported in US outbreak of small tornadoes; more storms possible

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

(AP) — Storms in parts of the southern Plains produced about two dozen small tornadoes but no reports of deaths or injuries, according to the National Weather Service, and more severe weather is possible Friday.Nearly 15 tornadoes were reported Thursday in northwestern Kansas, southwestern Nebraska and eastern Colorado, according to weather service meteorologist Ryan Husted in Goodland, Kansas.Damage was reported to the roof, windows and football stadium at the high school in the unincorporated community of Weskan in western Kansas, near the Colorado border, Husted said, but other twisters did little to no damage.“All were weak or small … brief and shorter lived, most of them stayed out across our agricultural lands,” Husted said.As many as 10 tornadoes were reported in central Oklahoma, according to weather service meteorologist Scott Curl.Homes and businesses were damaged in the Oklahoma towns of Noble, Newcastle and Tuttle, as well as Cole, where a tornado on April 19...

DeSantis signs House bill regulating class start times for middle, high school students

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

Believing children who are well rested will perform better academically, Florida Gov. DeSantis has signed into law House Bill 733.The new law prohibits Florida’s middle schools from starting earlier than 8 a.m. High schools will no longer be allowed to start earlier than 8:30.The changes are scheduled to go into effect on July 1, 2026.

Search underway for 13-year-old girl reported missing in Pembroke Pines

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

Police seek the public’s help in their search for a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing in Pembroke Pines.According to Pembroke Pines Police, Kayla Chung was last seen at her home in an unspecified part of the city, at around 4:15 p.m., Friday.Chung stands 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs around 105 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes.She was last seen wearing a shirt of an unknown color and baggy blue jeans.Officials urge anyone with information on her whereabouts to call Pembroke Pines Police at 954-431-2200.

Moose spotted in Westford, relocated to new home

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

Crews in Westford were able to help get a moose to a new home Friday after the moose was spotted in town, according to the Westford Fire Department. Fire officials said local firefighters worked with police, animal control officers and state officials to help a “moose in distress” on North Main Street Friday afternoon. Officials said personnel sedated the moose and were able to safely relocate her, keeping her cool during the process using water. “Good luck, Ms. Moose. Safe travels,” the fire department said in a post on its Facebook page. The moose population in Massachusetts began rebounding in the 1980s, according to MassWildlife, with moose now found in most of western and central Massachusetts. MassWildlife officials say occasional sightings have also been reported in eastern Massachusetts.

Column: José Abreu returns to the scene of his prime looking for answers — just like the Chicago White Sox

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

José Abreu didn’t have much to say about the sad state of the Chicago White Sox in his return to the South Side with the Houston Astros.He knew better than to wake a sleeping dog.“It kind of stinks to see what they’re going through, but it’s part of the game,” Abreu said a raindrops fell on the visitors dugout before Friday’s game. “It’s a very tough game that we all play, and I think I’ve been going through a lot more struggles than the White Sox have, and it’s part of the challenge. Got to fight through them, and try to move on.”The Abreu homecoming Friday was delayed by rain at Guaranteed Rate Field. But he received his video tribute and a salute from appreciative Sox fans, who were denied the opportunity to say goodbye in October when Abreu asked interim manager Miguel Cairo not to play in the final regular-season game.Abreu’s departure after nine years with the Sox was not surprising, but what has happ...

Francisco Lindor’s clutch 3 RBI single leads Mets over Nationals in series opener

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

WASHINGTON — Brandon Nimmo drove a 94 MPH fastball back to the wall in right-center field. It looked as good as gone until Lane Thomas made a leaping grab at the out-of-town scoreboard. He jumped at an angle to make a difficult catch to end the fourth inning and preserve a slim, 1-0 lead for the Washington Nationals.It looked as though the Mets were destined for another loss that looked just like so many of the others, with an inefficient starting pitching performance and empty at-bats. But down 2-0 with the bases loaded and two out in the sixth, Francisco Lindor hit a three-run single off Carl Edwards Jr. (1-2) to put the Mets up 3-2.It was exactly the kind of hit the Mets needed.The took the first game of a four-game set Friday night at Nationals Park. That big inning came after the team had chased left-hander MacKenzie Gore from the game after four scoreless innings.The Mets (19-20) pushed Gore’s pitch count up into the 50s after the first two innings and he was repla...

Cedric Mullins hits for the cycle in Orioles’ 6-3 win over Pirates

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

For much of the night in which the Orioles introduced the Bird Bath Splash Zone at Camden Yards, they left their runners out to dry.But the waterworks came in bunches in the later innings of their 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates, fueled by center fielder Cedric Mullins recording the seventh cycle in team history.Having singled in the third, Mullins first provided cause to wet the Bird Bath — with Section 86 above Camden Yards’ left field wall designated for fans to participate in the team’s water-themed celebrations — with a fifth-inning triple, as a man wearing a “Mr. Splash” Orioles jersey hosed down fans in the area on extra-base hits. With the Orioles (25-13) down a run in the seventh, Mullins prompted more water with a double, and Adley Rutschman did the same to tie the game before Ryan Mountcastle followed with a go-ahead single. With two on and two outs in the eighth, Mullins hammered his fifth home run out to right, breaking the...

Anthony Rizzo’s go-ahead moonshot caps off two-homer night a Yankees top Rays

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

Anthony Rizzo’s first home run on Friday night just cleared the short right field fence at Yankee Stadium. His second towered over it with ease — and the first baseman enjoyed every second of it as he watched from home plate.The eighth-inning skyscraper off Rays reliever Jason Adam gave the Yankees the lead for good in a 6-5 back-and-forth win that tied the series between division foes.Tampa Bay, first in the American League East, had taken control earlier in the eighth when Josh Lowe homered off Michael King with two men on. The blast, Lowe’s second in as many days, gave the Rays a 5-4 edge just minutes after the Yankees had strung together a few hits to form their first lead of the night.Anthony Volpe, dropped to seventh in the lineup, put the Yankees ahead, 3-2, with a single off reliever Kevin Kelly in the seventh, while Oswaldo Cabrera drove home an additional run with a base knock of his own, though the inning ended when he tried advancing to second.Volpe had...

Jalen Brunson’s 41 points not enough as Knicks season ends in Game 6 loss to Heat

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:53:55 GMT

MIAMI — Jalen Brunson brought them there. His team kicking, screaming and scrubbing along the way, Brunson somehow had the Knicks within striking distance in the fourth quarter. A real chance to bring the series back to New York for the biggest NBA basketball game at MSG in over 20 years.Brunson did everything while scoring 41 points. His teammates? They were all miserable Friday night in Miami. A collective disaster. As a result, a 96-92 defeat in Game 6 was the curtains on the Knicks’ season.A solid season but a disappointing final act.Julius Randle continued his ugly playoffs by scoring just 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting. He was joined in the Houdini act by RJ Barrett, who endured his worst performance of the series, by far, while finishing with 11 points on 1 of 10 from the field.Brunson, on the other hand, was brilliant. He shot 14-for=22. His teammates combined to shoot 13-for-49.Brunson’s lone pockmark on the evening was huge, however. With 16 seconds remain...