Rockets beat first-place Nuggets 124-103 in home finale

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

Rockets beat first-place Nuggets 124-103 in home finale HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green scored 32 points, six others scored in double figures and the last-place Houston Rockets topped the first-place Denver Nuggets 124-103 in their home finale on Tuesday night.Denver entered Tuesday three games ahead of Memphis for the top spot in the Western Conference with four games remaining for both teams. At 19-60 entering Tuesday, the Rockets stood 33 1/2 games behind Denver’s 52-26 record.But none of that mattered to the upstart Rockets, hoping to end a rocky season on a positive note.Denver had a sluggish start to the fourth quarter, making just one field goal in the first five minutes. Houston went on a 16-4 run in that stretch.Running away with the game late, the young Rockets went on a dunking spree, firing up the Toyota Center crowd for the home finale. After the fourth dunk of the quarter, a thunderous, two-handed windmill dunk in transition from Tari Eason, Nuggets coach Michael Malone called timeout with 5:33 remaining in the game and pulled h...

Bogdanovic’s 26 lead Young-less Hawks past Bulls 123-105

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

Bogdanovic’s 26 lead Young-less Hawks past Bulls 123-105 CHICAGO (AP) — Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 26 points and the Atlanta Hawks overcame the loss of top scorer Trae Young to beat the Chicago Bulls 123-105 on Tuesday night.Young, who leads the Hawks with a 26.2 scoring average, didn’t play due to a non-COVID illness. Forward De’Andre Hunter missed his third consecutive game because of a left knee bruise.But Bogdanovic led the way on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, including 5-of-10 on 3-point attempts.Atlanta (40-39) opened a two-game lead over the Bulls (38-41), who clinched a play-in berth in the Eastern Conference by virtue of Orlando’s loss to Cleveland earlier in the evening.After Zach LaVine opened the game with a basket, the Hawks ran off 13 consecutive points, with Bogdanovic scoring 11 during that span as the Hawks never trailed after that.The Bulls managed only seven fast-break points, and the Hawks had a 66-48 advantage in points in the paint. Saddiq Bey added 18 points while Dejounte Murray had 17 and Jaylen Johns...

DC Health to launch pilot program for lifesaving medical vending machines

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

DC Health to launch pilot program for lifesaving medical vending machines The D.C. government will roll out harm-reduction vending machines that give  access to lifesaving medicine and other wellness products.DC Health, in partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health and D.C. Fire and EMS, said that these vending machines will provide lifesaving tools such as naloxone, Narcan and fentanyl test strips, along with hygiene and wellness products.This type of machine is becoming more common in cities across the country due to the rise in opioids usage and overdoses, and their ability to provide access to critical services that will help the people who need it most.More DC NewsMore Local NewsIn October 2021, DC Health awarded grants to the Family and Medical Counseling Services and HIPS harm reduction services to start the implementation of the vending machines in the District.“This pilot project will evaluate the utilization patterns and positive impact these products have on the well-being of vulnerable communities in the area,” DC Health ...

Embiid scores 52, leads 76ers past Celtics 103-101

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

Embiid scores 52, leads 76ers past Celtics 103-101 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid strengthened his MVP bid with 52 points and 13 rebounds, and the NBA scoring leader carried the Philadelphia 76ers to a 103-101 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. In a game with a playoff vibe, this one came down to the end, as Jayson Tatum’s tying jumper fell short at the horn.P.J. Tucker gave Embiid and the Sixers the help they needed when he made three late 3-pointers that turned a one-point deficit into a 101-95 lead. Derrick White buried a 3 with 2 seconds left that pulled Boston to 103-101 and hushed a crowd that had just bellowed “MVP! MVP!” chants. Embiid was whistled for an offensive foul but the Celtics couldn’t capitalize. The 76ers avoided a season sweep against the Celtics and won for the first time in four games. They can thank the All-Star center that punctuated the victory with a vicious two-handed slam late in the game that sent the crowd into a frenzy.Embiid made 20 of 25 shots from the floor and 12 of 13 free ...

Brandon Johnson, a progressive organizer backed by teachers union, wins Chicago mayor’s race over moderate Paul Vallas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

Brandon Johnson, a progressive organizer backed by teachers union, wins Chicago mayor’s race over moderate Paul Vallas CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Johnson, a progressive organizer backed by teachers union, wins Chicago mayor’s race over moderate Paul Vallas.Source

Park Hill golf course plan losing in early Denver election returns

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

Park Hill golf course plan losing in early Denver election returns DENVER (KDVR) -- Early returns show Denver voters rejecting the plan to develop the former Park Hill golf course.The first and second round of results showed more than 60% of voters so far rejected the plan. That's nearly 56,000 voters against the question and around 36,200 in favor as of the 8:30 p.m. drop. Full Results: Denver ballot questions The 155-acre property, located north of 35th Avenue and west of Colorado Boulevard, has sat vacant since 2018 and was purchased by developers. It has a city-owned conservation easement on it requiring the land to be used primarily for golf-related reasons.In January, Denver City Council voted to change the conservation easement and put the issue before voters. Arguments in favor of removing the easement focus on the potential development of the land.If passed, Westside Investment Partners said it plans to build 2,500 to 3,200 housing units, 25% of which would be affordable housing, a large park and a grocery store.Opponents say the land sh...

Snowmelt could make rivers deeper, faster this kayak season

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

Snowmelt could make rivers deeper, faster this kayak season DENVER (KDVR) — Experts say waterways across Colorado could be higher and faster this spring and summer.Many factors could make rivers and waterways around the state much more dangerous. Chief among them is the fact that snowpack is at 139%.When snow melts, it can make rivers much more treacherous for kayakers."With the snowpack being what it is, we are expecting to see higher waters than we've seen in the last few years," JD Chism, with the Denver Fire Department, said. How much snow fell where you live on Tuesday? More snow means more water when warmer weather starts melting it, making our rivers deeper and faster-moving. Chism said drier years from before could have as much of an impact."Since we haven't had such great water for the last couple of years the new debris is being pushed into that river," Chism said.That debris, combined with deeper water, could make kayaking much more dangerous.Kayakers, prepare for a difficult riverAt Confluence Kayaks, a kayak store in Denver, e...

Chicago Bulls clinch a spot in the NBA play-in tournament — but a dismal loss leaves little room to improve their seeding

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

Chicago Bulls clinch a spot in the NBA play-in tournament — but a dismal loss leaves little room to improve their seeding The Chicago Bulls clinched a spot in the NBA postseason Tuesday night — and they didn’t even have to do the heavy lifting.But the celebration was short-lived as the Bulls lost 123-105 to the Atlanta Hawks an hour later, all but cornering themselves into the least favorable seed.The Orlando Magic provided the Bulls with a gift by losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-113, clinching a spot in the play-in tournament for the Bulls, who are guaranteed to finish no worse than 10th in the Eastern Conference — but also unlikely to move any higher after failing to secure the tiebreaker with the Hawks.With three games to play, the Bulls (38-41) trail the Hawks and Toronto Raptors by two games, and the Raptors own the tiebreaker against the Bulls based on head-to-head record. The Bulls and Hawks split four games, so a tiebreaker would come down to conference record, in which the Bulls currently hold a half-game edge.Tuesday’s game carried the highest stakes of the final...

Chicago Bulls are in the NBA play-in tournament. Here’s how it works.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

Chicago Bulls are in the NBA play-in tournament. Here’s how it works. The Chicago Bulls have clinched a spot in the NBA play-in tournament, a battle for the last two playoff seeds in each conference. Here’s an explainer about the history of the event and how it works — and where the Bulls stand.When did the play-in begin?The NBA introduced the idea after the restart of the pandemic-delayed 2019-20 season, with a team needing to be within four games of the No. 8 seed to force a play-in for the last playoff spot in the conference.The Memphis Grizzlies finished a half-game behind the No. 8 seed Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference, and the Blazers won the first game of a play-in, thus earning the final playoff spot. In the East, the ninth-place Washington Wizards finished 7½ games behind the eighth-place Orlando Magic, meaning a play-in was unnecessary.How has the tournament evolved?The next year, the NBA expanded its play-in rules, with only the top six seeds in each conference guaranteed of a playoff spot and the Nos. 7-10 ...

Denver’s more moderate mayoral candidates pull ahead

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:57:26 GMT

Denver’s more moderate mayoral candidates pull ahead DENVER (AP) — As votes for Denver’s mayoral election poured in Tuesday night, two of the more moderate candidates in the unusually large and divergent field of 16 contestants pulled far ahead in the initial results.If early results hold, Kelly Brough, the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and Mike Johnston, a former state senator, could be pushed to a runoff election. They would leave behind the more progressive candidates in a largely left-leaning contestant field.All are vying for an increasingly powerful position in a city that faces a rising crime rate not seen for decades, growing homeless encampments and dizzying housing costs. The fear that undergirds the race is clear: Denver — the fast-growing, relatively young, business and tech hub of the U.S. Mountain West — is tumbling toward a fate similar to that of other major cities.The stakes are high, said Ty Robertson, an engineer in Denver and Johnston supporter. The city has rapidly burgeoned into...