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Keeler: “I know I would cry.” Nuggets’ takedown of LeBron James, Lakers rocked Ball Arena, brought longtime fans to tears.

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

Rick Driscoll kept the angels up late Monday. Even from a mile high, you could just about hear him dancing on Cloud 9, rocking a Carmelo Anthony jersey and waving his harp at Chick Hearn and Wilt Chamberlain.“He was a huge sports fan,” Denee Driscoll said as she watched her late husband’s beloved Nuggets clinch their first-ever NBA Finals from 1,000 miles away at a Ball Arena watch party. “And he would be thrilled right now.”Rick Alan Driscoll, lifelong Nuggets fan, passed away this past February. He went to eight or 10 games a year, blue and gold through thick and thin. As a member of Iron Workers Local 24, he gave the skyline his hands and Chauncey Billups his heart.“You know, it’s bittersweet,” Denee said softly before Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Nuggets and hated Los Angeles Lakers. “But it’s awesome.”Nuggets 113, Lakers 111. A 4-0 sweep. Los Angeles in tatters.This was for Rick. For all the Ricks everywhere, the grown men who wept with joy on Chopper Cir...

Nikola Jokic’s Game 4 triple-double punches Nuggets’ first trip to the NBA Finals

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Nikola Jokic stood near halfcourt and unleashed a roar that had been years in the making.Late in the fourth quarter of Monday’s gripping Game 4, after one of Jokic’s sublime dimes found Aaron Gordon for a dunk, Jokic screamed at the history he and the Nuggets were approaching. Not four minutes later, in front of championship banners that Denver was only allowed to dream about, the Nuggets seized the Western Conference crown over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, 113-111.Their victory punched Denver’s first-ever trip to the NBA Finals by virtue of its first-ever playoff sweep in franchise history.As James drove to the hoop in the final seconds, Jamal Murray got his hands on the ball in an attempt to thwart James. At the same time, Aaron Gordon soared over and appeared to block the ball. Game over, and Denver’s reserves stormed the court.Jokic, named the Western Conference Finals MVP, finished with a 30-point, 14-rebound, 13-assist triple-double, setting an ...

Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic named Western Conference Finals MVP after sweep of Lakers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

LOS ANGELES — What LeBron can do, Joker can do crazier.A 38-year-old LeBron James highlighted his 31-point first half Monday with a circus 3-pointer that wasn’t even a shot. It was an attempted pass toward the rim.So how did Nikola Jokic respond? With a pair of high-arcing, clumsy yet graceful, ugly yet acrobatic 3s with hands in his face throughout the remainder of Game 4. It helped the Nuggets earn their first-ever playoff series sweep and the franchise’s first-ever trip to the NBA Finals.Jokic, already a two-time league MVP, was named MVP of the Western Conference Finals after Game 4. It was a fitting coronation after Jokic broke Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record with his eighth triple-double of this postseason: 30 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists.“We always talk about an aggressive Nikola Jokic is a very effective Nikola Jokic,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said during the series.Jokic registered a triple-double in three out of four games in t...

Nuggets 3-pointers: Denver struck in Game 4 as soon as LeBron James cooled off

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

Initial observations from Los Angeles after Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Nuggets and Lakers.1. Aaron Gordon’s arrival: All five Denver starters were in double figures by the end of the third quarter, an impressive team effort from the top seed in the West. The most notable stat line among those five: Gordon’s 22-point night came on top of the first three games of the series when he averaged 9.7 points, well down from his regular-season average of just over 16 points. Game 4 revealed a suddenly far more willing aggressor in Gordon, pulling the trigger confidently when the Lakers dared him to shoot and attacking when he saw an opening.2. Theme of Denver’s comeback quarter: As the Nuggets erased a 15-point halftime deficit to take their first lead of Game 4 with 4:39 remaining in the third quarter, LeBron James did not score a point. Consider the stark contrast: The first 24 minutes Monday marked LeBron’s highest point total in a single ha...

Rockies’ beat Marlins behind red-hot Jurickson Profar

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

Jurickson Profar has a megawatt smile that could light up Broadway. That smile was beaming Monday night at Coors Field.The left fielder put on a boffo performance, ripping two doubles to right field, including a two-run liner off the wall in the seventh inning in the Rockies’ 5-3 victory over Miami. The victory, in front of an announced crowd of 20,331, snapped Colorado’s three-game losing streak.“Jurickson is playing as he expects to play and what we envisioned when we signed him in March,” manager Bud Black said. “We thought there was a hitter in there and it’s showing up.”Profar extended his on-base streak to 30 games, the longest active streak in the majors. Since May 7, Profar is hitting .360, with two home runs, seven doubles and nine RBIs. He’s recorded multiple hits in each of his past four games.Catcher Elias Diaz, the Rockies’  provided Colorado with the go-ahead run with a one-out solo homer in the sixth off Miami star...

Evacuations ordered lifted after brush fire erupts in Riverside County

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

Authorities in Riverside County lifted evacuation orders for residents whose homes were threated by the Ramona Fire, which broke out just west of San Jacinto Monday afternoon. Firefighters responded to the blaze near the Ramona Expressway and Warren Road just after 2 p.m. The blaze grew to 328 acres and was 20% contained by 8:30 p.m., when fire officials said "all evacuation warnings on the Ramona Fire are lifted and residents are permitted to return to their residences."Authorities also said that Warren Road, between Ramona Expressway and Esplanade Avenue, has been opened. Footage from Sky5 showed crews creating fire breaks in front of homes in the area, spraying retardant and clearing brush before, while firefighting aircraft made water drops on hotspots along the fire's path. Crews with Riverside County Fire Department battle a blaze in vegetation west of San Jacinto in Riverside County on May 22, 2023. (Cal Fire Riverside)Evacuation orders and warnings issued for the following a...

Nuggets sweep LeBron, Lakers and will head to franchise's first NBA Finals

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, and the Denver Nuggets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history Monday night, sweeping the Western Conference finals with a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.Jamal Murray scored 25 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who overcame LeBron James’ 31-point first half and a 15-point halftime deficit with a tenacious finish in Game 4 to earn their first conference title in their 47 NBA seasons.James finished with 40 points after the highest-scoring postseason half of his career, but even the top scorer in NBA history couldn’t keep the deep, dynamic Nuggets from their sixth consecutive victory overall.James missed two tying shots in the final seconds, with Aaron Gordon appearing to block his shot at the buzzer.Jokic earned his eighth triple-double of the playoffs by the third quarter, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s 1967 NBA record for triple-doubles in a single postseason. The Serbian big man also led the Nu...

Man allegedly wields pickaxe after crashing into Lake Forest home

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

A man in Orange County crashed his vehicle into a home Monday and was seen running away. Witnesses said they later saw the same man chasing two people in the area with a pickaxe before barricading himself inside a home. The chaos unfolded around 12 p.m. in the 24300 block of Peacock Street in Lake Forest. Surveillance video captured a Kia sedan driving down the neighborhood street. Moments later, a crash can be heard. Security cameras then show the suspect running down the street. He reportedly ran to a home in the 22100 block of Pheasant Street, where he rents a room.  Witnesses told KTLA that the man was then seen chasing the person he rents a room from, as well as a gardener in the neighborhood, with a pickaxe.  “We were inside working and a gardener came up to the door. He was panicking,” Andy Lopez, who was working in a nearby residence, told KTLA. “He said somebody was chasing him with an axe. We came outside and we heard yelling at the house. It sounded like so...

Bill banning additives in Skittles, other foods passes in the California State Assembly

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

California is one step closer to enacting a law that would ban Skittles, Hot Tamales, and a host of other food items that contain chemicals linked to health issues.Assembly Bill 418, proposed by Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills), passed overwhelmingly in the California State Assembly last week and now heads to the State Senate.The bill would prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution of products containing Red Dye No. 3, Titanium Dioxide, Potassium Bromate, Brominated Vegetable Oil, or Propyl Paraben in the Golden State.Those chemicals, which are already banned in the European Union, have been linked to cancer, reproductive issues, and developmental issues in children, Gabriel says.“It’s unacceptable that the U.S. is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to banning these dangerous additives,” Gabriel said in a statement. “We don’t love our children any less than they do in Europe and it’s not too much to ask food and beverage manufacturers to switch to the safer alte...

Dodgers apologize, reinvite LGBTQ 'nun' group to Pride Night

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:28:39 GMT

The Los Angeles Dodgers have reversed course on the controversial decision to disinvite a group of self-described queer and trans “nuns” from being honored at the team’s 10th annual Pride Night.“After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, and generous discussions with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence … the Dodgers would like to offer our sincerest apologies,” the team said in a statement Monday afternoon after meeting with leaders of the group.The Dodgers asked the Sisters to, once again, join them on the field at Pride Night to accept the team’s Community Service Award, which they have accepted.“A full apology and explanation was given to us by the Dodgers staff which we accept,” the Sisters said. “We believe the apology is sincere because the Dodgers have worked for 10 years with our community and as well they have asked us to continue an ongoing relationship with them."Last week’s decision, whic...