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Chicago Bulls clinch a spot in the NBA play-in tournament — and can try to improve their seeding down the stretch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

The Chicago Bulls clinched a spot in the NBA postseason Tuesday night — and they didn’t even have to do the heavy lifting.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.If they remain in 10th, the Bulls would play a single-elimination road game against the ninth seed, with the winner then facing the loser of the 7-8 game for a spot in the first round of the NBA playoffs.They could climb higher in the standings, but that would require winning out — including Wednesday’s matchup with the first-place Milwaukee Bucks — or a series of losses by adjacent teams in the East standings.The Bulls were handed another advantage when Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young was too sick with a non-COVID illness to travel to Chicago for Tuesday’s game.Young was listed as out Tuesday after ...

Chicago Cubs’ increased expectations bring more scrutiny of manager David Ross: ‘That’s my job to make those decisions’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

Chicago Cubs manager David Ross treated each game the previous three seasons the same way.He returned to Chicago in October 2019 to win another championship for the franchise and wanted to take on the challenges that come with those expectations. Even when mired in back-to-back losing seasons, Ross brought this mentality into the dugout each game — reflected at times in his surly postgame demeanor when the Cubs were on the losing end.After two rebuilding seasons, the Cubs’ offseason investments and improved roster now align their talent level with the external perception that this group should produce a winning season.And by extension, this puts Ross’ in-game decisions under scrutiny. Even five games into the season.“I’m not perfect, I’m not going to be perfect, I’ll definitely make mistakes,” Ross said before Tuesday’s 12-5 victory against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. “I also know part of sitting in thi...

Magic eliminated from postseason contention with loss to Cavaliers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

The Orlando Magic’s 117-113 Thursday home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers had consequences that impacted their own chances of qualifying for postseason play.With the defeat, the Magic (34-45) were eliminated from contending for a spot in the play-in tournament.The Magic were four games behind the Chicago Bulls for the No. 10 seed in the East and Orlando’s “magic” number is one — meaning they’d be eliminated from postseason contention with the Bulls’ next win or the Magic’s next loss.Orlando’s defeat came first.The Nos. 7-10 seeds in each conference compete in the play-in tournament for the Nos. 7 and 8 spots in the playoffs.The Magic were the last team in the East outside of the play-in to be eliminated.For them, playing in a late-season game that mattered is a sign of they’re “leveling up” — their mantra since the end of last season.“We’ve asked these guys to play meaningful basketball and our...

Butler to rescue again as Heat survive harrowing 118-105 victory in Detroit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

For weeks, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has acknowledged that little has been easy about this season.Tuesday night, the Heat had an opportunity that’s about as easy as it gets these days in the NBA and still had trouble gaining their footing, blowing all of an early 17-point lead, then all of a 12-point third-quarter lead and even falling behind in the fourth quarter before finishing off the Detroit Pistons 118-105 at Little Caesars Arena.Ultimately, it took far more than should have been expected or expended by Jimmy Butler, who seized control in the fourth quarter to finish with 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.At 42-37, the Heat assured themselves of their sixth consecutive winning season, which also stood as the minimal goal for this season.With the victory the Heat kept alive their minimal hopes of moving up to No. 6 in the Eastern Conference, while also strengthening their hold on No. 7.To put into perspective what the Heat were facing, the Pistons entered ...

Winderman’s view: Every last breath required against the Pistons, really?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

Observations and other notes of interest from Tuesday night’s 118-105 victory over the Detroit Pistons:– A week from now the Miami Heat will be in the NBA play-in round.– Where one or two losses sends you home before the playoffs.– With, basically, the only thing that Erik Spoelstra’s team has proven to this point is that they can struggle against anyone.– Seriously, what the heck was this?– Detroit wanted to lose.– Needed to lose.– Sat anyone and everyone possible.– And there were the Heat, the healthy Heat, playing to their last gasp before Jimmy Butler seized control in the waning minutes.– Every team in the play-in round will be better than the Pistons.– Let alone every team in the playoffs.– And enough about playing down to the competition.– The Heat knew what was at stake.– If that’s not enough motivation, then what?– This is a trip where all focus and energy should have been ...

Orioles reportedly set to promote Grayson Rodriguez, club’s top pitching prospect, to make major league debut Wednesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

Grayson Rodriguez is reportedly on his way home.Baltimore’s top pitching prospect is being promoted to the Orioles and is expected to make his major league debut Wednesday in his home state of Texas against the Rangers, according to multiple reports.Rodriguez, a consensus top 10 prospect in baseball, was expected to make the Orioles’ rotation to open the season, but he instead began the year in Triple-A Norfolk after struggling in spring training.The Orioles have not announced the promotion or a potential corresponding move.Rodriguez’s call-up follows Monday’s game in which starting pitcher Kyle Bradish suffered a right foot contusion after taking a 104 mph line drive off the foot during his start Monday. Bradish threw one warmup pitch before exiting the game in the second inning.While Tyler Wells’ five-inning relief outing led the Orioles to a 2-0 win and saved an already-fatigued bullpen, it didn’t change the calculus that the Orioles would need...

Trump, back home at Mar-a-Lago, condemns charges against him as ‘fake case’ aimed at interfering with 2024 election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

Anthony Man and Angie DiMichele | South Florida Sun SentinelFormer President Donald Trump returned to South Florida on Tuesday evening after an early afternoon court appearance in New York where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges.He landed at Palm Beach International Airport at about 6:40 p.m., almost 30 hours after he departed PBIA for the trip to New York for his first appearance in court after last week’s indictment by a Manhattan grand jury.About an hour and a half later he began a speech condemning the prosecution — and other investigations into his conduct — in a televised speech before hundreds of supporters gathered at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach resort club and home.“God bless you all. God bless you all. And I never thought anything like this could happen in America,” he said. “The only crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.”“This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election, and it shou...

Defiant Trump slams Manhattan DA claiming ‘there’s no case’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

Donald Trump came out blasting away at the Manhattan DA, Hunter Biden’s laptop and a “country going to hell” after a long day dealing with a 34-count criminal indictment.“The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,” the former president said at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida.“I have a great family and they’ve done a great job and I appreciate that,” he said, adding the DA Alvin Bragg “wants to settle the case” — an offer Trump said he’s not buying.“There’s no case,” Trump said. “They threw this ridiculous indictment together … the criminal is the district attorney for leaking” the indictment.He added he now has a “Trump-hating judge” saying the case is “right out of the old Soviet Union, and that is bad.” He bundled with that inflation, China and Russia along with Iran for...

Tuberculosis exposure impacts multiple services at Father Joe’s Villages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego County health officials on Tuesday warned of a potential tuberculosis exposure at various Father Joe's Villages Programs.The health alert is directed to staff, volunteers and clients who were at the Inclement Weather Shelter, San Diego Day Center, Food Services, Employment and Education Services and Village Health Center between Jan. 14 to March 3, according to the County of San Diego Communications Office.“Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., County public health officer. “Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away. This is called latent TB infection. Some who become infected with tuberculosis will become ill in the future, sometimes even years later, if their latent TB infection is not treated. Blood tests and skin tests are effective to determine whether someone has been infected.” SDSU’s Fisher becomes first-ever with ALS t...

Denver’s ‘high stakes’ mayoral race field narrows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:47 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Crowded in a small ballroom at Denver’s ritzy Maven Hotel, a mayoral election watch party for candidate Mike Johnston broke into applause and cheers when the first batch of votes were returned Tuesday night. Their candidate, a former state senator and one of an unusually large and divergent field of 16 contestants vying for an increasingly powerful position, held a slim lead. Candidate Kelly Brough, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, was close behind.The stakes are high for Denver voters, said Ty Robertson, an engineer in Denver and Johnston supporter. The city has rapidly burgeoned into a major metropolis, she said, and “we just weren’t prepared.” Denver faces a rising crime rate not seen for decades, growing homeless encampments and dizzying housing costs. The fear that undergirds the wide open race is clear. Denver — the fast-growing, relatively young, business and tech hub of the U.S. Mountain West — is tumbling toward a fa...