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Heat shrink in 116-105 loss to Hawks, now with all-or-nothing Friday game to salvage season

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

One game, one chance, one night to salvage the season.That is what it has come down to for the Miami Heat.Failing to take advantage of the first of two chances to advance to the NBA playoffs from the play-in tournament, after falling 116-105 Tuesday night to the visiting Atlanta Hawks, it all comes down now to a Friday home game against the Chicago Bulls or Toronto Raptors.“At least we have a lot of experience,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of the type of moment that now follows. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs this season, nothing about this season has been easy. So we’re going to do this the hard way.”Win Friday, and it’s on to the best-of-seven first round of the playoffs starting Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.Lose Friday, and no playoffs, just the lowest seed in next month’s draft lottery for non-playoff teams.“We’re aware of what’s at stake,” guard Tyler Herro s...

Winderman’s view: Roster flaws hit home at worst possible time for Heat

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

Observations and other notes of interest from Tuesday night’s 116-105 NBA play-in loss to the Atlanta Hawks:– All those clutch games within five points in the final five minutes?– All those games decided on the final possessions?– All those nights when it was Jimmy Butler to the rescue?– Through it all, it became evident that the margin of error for this team was razor thin.– Then came the immediate foul trouble at the outset Tuesday.– And then the shots that wouldn’t drop.– And then the undersized lineups that couldn’t measure up.– So now this: Now one final chance to make this season right on Friday night.– Beat the winner of Wednesday night’s game between the Bulls and Raptors and move into the best-of-seven first round as a No. 8 seed.– Or go into a dark, dark, dark offseason.– If nothing else, this was sobering.– A sobering reality of what this roster is not.– Not big enough.&#...

Garrett Whitlock, quiet Red Sox bats no match for perfect (11-0) Rays

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

In his season debut, Garrett Whitlock looked like several other Red Sox starting pitchers in their own debuts two weeks ago.Outgunned by a low-budget American League East rival.The Baltimore Orioles lit up Corey Kluber and Chris Sale, and the Tampa Bay Rays gave Whitlock a thorough dunking in the Trop’s fish tank on their way to their 11th consecutive victory, 7-2.After the Red Sox and Rays carried a scoreless battle into the bottom of the eighth on Monday, the Rays took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, and continued scoring in four of the next eight innings. Rob Refsnyder almost gave Whitlock a clean inning with a stupendous diving catch, but was unable to keep Wander Franco’s ball in his glove. It was eerily reminiscent of Adam Duvall’s ninth-inning incident on Sunday in Detroit, which fractured his wrist. Thankfully, Refsnyder emerged unscathed.The game got away from Whitlock in the bottom of the fifth, when he allowed back-to-back home runs to put the Rays ahe...

Padres to honor Johnny Ritchey with Pacific Coast League Uniforms

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Johnny Ritchey breaking the professional baseball color barrier on the West Coast by wearing their Pacific Coast League uniforms on April 17, team officials said.Ritchey, who would have also been celebrating his 100th birthday next Monday, was a catcher with the Padres in 1948 and 1949, becoming the first African American player in the Pacific Coast League to be with his hometown team. He attended San Diego High School and San Diego State University.“Johnny was a San Diegan whose courage and bravery extended beyond breaking the color barrier to also serving his country during World War II," Padres CEO Erik Greupner said. "By wearing our 1948 Pacific Coast League uniforms on Monday night, we will honor Johnny’s legacy and accomplishments, which are a great source of pride for the Padres organization.” Padres City Connect jerseys draw fans in for second year The 1948 PCL Padres' uniforms feature a navy-blue script over ...

Kiermaier, Springer lift Blue Jays over Tigers 9-3 in Toronto’s home opener

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

Outfielders Kevin Kiermaier and George Springer had back-to-back homers in the fifth inning as the Blue Jays held off the Detroit Tigers 9-3 on Tuesday in Toronto’s home opener.Alejandro Kirk had a three-run homer and an RBI single for the Blue Jays (7-4), who started the season on a 10-game road trip due to renovations at Rogers Centre.Matt Chapman and Bo Bichette added their own solo shots for Toronto before Brandon Belt drove in a run with a base hit.Starting pitcher Alek Manoah earned a no decision, giving up three runs on four hits and five walks over 4 1/3 innings, striking out three.Zach Pop of Brampton, Ont., Erik Swanson, Yimi Garcia and Anthony Bass combined for 4 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball.Nick Maton’s three-run homer in the second inning gave Detroit (2-8) an early lead but the Tigers still stumbled to their fifth consecutive loss.Matt Manning (1-1) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk over six innings of work. He struck out three before giving way...

Biden aide, Saudi prince see ‘progress’ toward Yemen war end

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke by phone with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday amid signs that the Saudis and Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen are making “remarkable progress” toward finding a permanent end to their nine-year conflict, according to the Biden administration.The crown prince, often referred to by his initials MBS, has had a strained relationship with President Joe Biden over human rights and oil production concerns. But the de facto Saudi leader and the president’s top national security adviser decided to talk amid encouraging signs on winding down the long and bloody war, a top priority for Biden.The call came after Saudi diplomat Mohammed bin Saeed al-Jaber met with Houthi officials in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday for talks that were aimed at accelerating negotiations on ending the war.The White House said in statement that Sullivan “welcomed Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary efforts” to purs...

GOP attorney joins California race for Feinstein Senate seat

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Republican attorney announced Tuesday he’s entering the 2024 contest to replace outgoing Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, joining a growing field in a state known for its liberal political tilt. Eric Early — an unsuccessful candidate for state attorney general in 2022 and 2018 and for Congress in 2020 — said he will campaign for the votes of “forgotten” Californians contending with rising crime, drug use, high taxes and what he called “far-left” ideology creeping into government. He said in a statement on his website that he will “stand up to the Socialist, ‘woke’ interests that control Washington, D.C.” Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, said in February that she would not seek reelection. Her term ends in January 2025. Early, who lives in Los Angeles, will start at a disadvantage.A Republican hasn’t won a statewide race in California since 2006. Democrats dominate the Legislature and the congressional delegation, and regist...

District 113 holds security meeting following gun incident at Highland Park High School

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Township School District 113 held a community meeting on security Tuesday evening following an incident last week where a student brought a gun into Highland Park High School.The incident sent the school into lockdown, one family telling WGN before the meeting that their freshman daughter was hiding behind a science lab table, with her teacher instructing them to throw books at an intruder if someone were to come in."Our teacher, he was really prepared," said Lily Dahms, a freshman at Highland Park High School, during the meeting. "He had books and he's like if anyone comes in, throw them at the intruder."Police said a student brought a gun into the building. The gun in question was recovered off-site, and one person is now criminally charged in the case. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lockdown lifted at Highland Park High School; 5 students in custody "We are dealing with a problem that shows up at our door. The origin of the problem is not at our door, it's outside our...

Arnold Schwarzenegger, tired of potholes, fills one himself

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) - Potholes have been ravaging streets across Los Angeles and the rest of California, especially after the torrential downpours the region saw this past winter. Recently, nearly 50 drivers on the 71 Freeway in Pomona were forced to pull over, many of them with flat tires, due to massive potholes that opened in the northbound span of the freeway. The problem is affecting all California drivers, including former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Video posted on Twitter by Schwarzenegger on Tuesday showed him personally repairing a massive pothole in his Brentwood neighborhood. Potholes again causing problems for drivers across Southern California “After the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it,” the tweet said. In the video, a neighbor rolled down her car window and shouted her thanks at the action movie star.“You’re welcome,” said Schwarzen...

A few Bulls players know what an NBA play-in tournament is like

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:47 GMT

CHICAGO — The most recent addition to the NBA's postseason format but be new for the leader of the team, but it won't be for a few of his players. The Bulls' "win or go home" game against the Raptors on Wednesday in the 9-10 game of the play-in tournament will be a first for Billy Donovan as he hopes to keep his third season with the team going a little longer. But a couple of his key contributors have taken part in one, including the newest addition to the team after the All-Star break. Patrick Beverley, in fact, was there just last year."To some people, it's a Game 7, to some, it's 'Do or Die.' Obviously, you lose, you go home," said the guard, who was in a Western Conference 7-8 play-in game with the Timberwolves last season.Beverley would help Minnesota knock off the Clippers at the Target Center to advance to the NBA Playoffs as a seventh seed, scoring seven points with 11 rebounds and three assists on the evening. Now he'll be on the floor for the Bulls in a bit of a different...