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Butler, Strus push Heat into playoffs in harrowing 102-91 comeback against Bulls; Bucks up next on Sunday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

There will be playoffs instead of lottery for the Miami Heat, as they punched their ticket into the first round with a 102-91 victory Friday night over the Chicago Bulls at the Kaseya Center.The payoff? A best-of-seven series against the Eastern Conference No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks for Erik Spoelstra’s team, starting Sunday at Fiserv Forum.As has been typical, the Heat did it the hard way, blowing an early 14-point lead and then 10-point third-quarter lead.But from six down in the fourth, Jimmy Butler helped save the day, with some of his postseason best on a night that started with decidedly less than his postseason best, the Heat closing it out with a 15-1 run.With Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro off with their offense, and Kyle Lowry forced to sit by recurring knee pain, the Heat found themselves in another clutch game, this time with everything at stake in the winner-take-all game in the play-in round.No matter how achieved, even with having to settle for the No. 8 seed and...

Adley Rutschman’s clutch double leads Orioles’ rally in 6-3 comeback win over White Sox

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

The Orioles were walking the walk Friday until Adley Rutschman got sick of the free bases.Despite walking eight times in the first seven innings, the Orioles struggled to score against the Chicago White Sox, as Baltimore trailed by two runs with two outs in the seventh.But just as he did Thursday with his first career walk-off home run, Rutschman delivered in a pivotal moment. With the bases loaded, the star catcher roped a bases-clearing double to left-center field to give the Orioles the lead en route to a 6-3 victory.The Orioles (8-6) loaded the bases and scored a run earlier in the seventh with three walks and an infield single. Cedric Mullins’ bases-loaded walk was the Orioles’ first run of the night and their eighth free pass.Rutschman came up against White Sox right-hander Reynaldo López and took the first two pitches for strikes. López then attempted to blow a fastball by Rutschman at 100.3 mph, but the switch-hitter kept his hands inside the low-middle...

Chicago Bulls let a late lead slip away in 102-91 loss to the Miami Heat, ending their season 1 win shy of a playoff berth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

The Chicago Bulls season crumbled to a close Friday night with a 102-91 loss to the Miami Heat in the second game of the NBA play-in tournament.Despite trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, the Bulls tied the game at 56 with 7 minutes, 40 seconds left in third quarter after a 12-2 surge.But Jimmy Butler came alive to shut his former team down in the fourth quarter. He made back-to-back layups to carve the Bulls’ lead to two points with less than seven minutes remaining and scored 13 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to advance the Heat to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.The game quickly stalled into a defensive grind as neither team shot the ball proficiently. The Heat missed layups and wide-open midrange shots to finish 41% from the field. The Bulls also failed to finish shots, shooting 43.9% from the field.Hickory Hills and DePaul product Max Strus kept the Heat afloat in the first half, scorching the Bulls for four 3-pointers to score the Hea...

Mets Notebook: Buck Showalter planning to use 6th starter for California trip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

OAKLAND — The Mets formulated a plan over the winter to use a sixth starting pitcher periodically. Halfway through spring training, it looked like a real possibility. The club had long ago identified an early season 10-game California trip as a prime opportunity to use a six-man rotation.The plan looked to be shelved after Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana were injured, but now that the Mets have embarked on the West Coast they have decided to stick to that plan. They will insert a sixth starter into the rotation next week when the team is in Los Angeles to play the third game of a three-game set against the Dodgers.However, it’s not yet known which pitcher they will use and how they will go about configuring the rotation and the bullpen.“We’re going to see how the next couple of days develop, but we have a plan in place as for how we think we’re going to go,” manager Buck Showalter said Friday afternoon at RingCentral Coliseum. “But someth...

G7 energy, environment leaders haggle over climate strategy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

SAPPORO, Japan (AP) — Energy and environment ministers of the Group of Seven wealthy nations met Saturday, seeking to reconcile the realities of a world largely reliant on fossil fuels with the urgent need to end carbon emissions to stave off the worst consequences of climate change. The meetings in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo are aimed at forging a consensus on the best way forward, ahead of the G-7 summit in Hiroshima in May. But differences persist over how, and how quickly, to end carbon emissions, especially at a time when the war in Ukraine has deepened concerns over energy security, complicating that effort. The talks in Sapporo will also focus on biodiversity loss and other global challenges. But climate change tops the agenda of the closed door meetings. At the G-7 summit last year in Germany, the countries set a common goal of achieving a fully or predominantly decarbonized electricity supply by 2035. Japan has focused its own national strategy on so-called clean...

Bo Bichette pounds out five hits as Blue Jays end Rays’ 13 game win streak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

George Springer hit a leadoff homer and Bo Bichette had five hits as the Toronto Blue Jays beat Tampa Bay 6-3 on Friday night to end the Rays’ season-opening 13-game winning streak.Jose Berrios threw five strong innings in his best start of the year as Toronto (9-5) won for the eighth time in 10 games.The Blue Jays took advantage of a pair of bases-loaded walks and a two-run error in the fifth inning. Josh Lowe and Christian Bethancourt cut into the lead with back-to-back homers off Yimi Garcia in the seventh.Erik Swanson pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Toronto and Jordan Romano of Markham, Ont., worked the ninth for his fifth save.Tampa Bay (13-1) was looking to set a modern-day Major League Baseball record for most consecutive victories to start a season.The 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers also went 13-0. The 1884 St. Louis Maroons went 20-0 in the Union Association.Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen (2-1) entered play with a clean earned-run average this ...

Rays lose first game after 13-0 start, fall 6-3 to Blue Jays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays lost their first game following a record-tying 13-0 start as Colin Poche forced in two runs with bases-loaded walks and second baseman Brandon Lowe made a key error in a four-run fifth inning that lifted the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-3 win on Friday night.George Springer hit a leadoff home run and Bo Bichette had five hits and an RBI as the Blue Jays denied Tampa Bay’s bid to establish Major League Baseball’s post-1900 record for consecutive wins at a season’s start.Toronto’s 13-0 record matched the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers, trailing only the 20-0 start by the 1884 St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association.Tampa Bay trailed at the end of an inning just six times entering Friday. Against the Blue Jays they trailed after all nine.Ian Harrison, The Associated Press

Ohio double homicide suspect arrested in Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Chicago police have arrested the person of interest in a southwestern Ohio double homicide investigation Friday.The Darke County Sheriff's Office received the notification from Chicago police just after 9 p.m. on Friday that 39-year-old Adam Uchyn is now in custody.Chicago police brought him in on a felony probation warrant out of Darke County. The warrant is unrelated to the homicide, authorities said. Source: Chase with possible armed robbery suspect in stolen car ends in Elmhurst crash According to authorities, Uchyn lives at the home where the murders happened. Deputies went to the home on Weavers-Fort Jefferson Road near County Road 121 in Neave Township around 5 a.m. Friday morning. Two women reported a possible homicide at the home. Deputies found an adult man and woman dead. Darke County Sheriff Mark Whittaker said these killings have shaken the community.

Macklemore announces Chicago concert this fall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

CHICAGO -- The "Thrift Shop" kid from Seattle will bring his Northwestern sound to the Windy City this fall.Macklemore will take his "The BEN Tour" to the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom on Friday, Sept. 29.The Seattle-native quickly became a four time Grammy Award winner with his 2012 Album "The Heist," that featured the hit song, "Thrift Shop." Summer Smash 2023 official lineup revealed Following his 2012 album, Macklemore won Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Album. He was nominated for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Music Video for "Can't Hold Us."This tour comes after the release of Macklemore's newest album "Ben," that was released on Friday, March 3 of this year.Show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Sept. 29.Tickets can be purchased here.

Kansas City teenager shot after going to wrong house

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:54 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — A teenager is recovering after being shot outside of a Kansas City, Missouri, home Thursday evening. Police believe it was a case of mistaken identity.Officers responded to a home near the city's Northland area around 10 p.m. Thursday and found the injured teenager suffering from life-threatening injuries. The Script guitarist Mark Sheehan dies at 46 following ‘brief illness’ Police said the teenager was picking up his siblings at a house on Northeast 115th Terrace, but mistakenly went to a house on Northeast 115th Street.Officers transported the alleged shooter to the police department. The department said he's been released pending further investigation.Kansas City Police Department said when it finishes investigating the case, it will be forwarded to the prosecutor's office to determine if charges are warranted.It's a situation far from normal in the neighborhood. ‘TikTok trickster’ wanted in 4 states arrested in Lexington, Kentucky "I don't know a...