Author: reporter

SAN ANTONIO — Devonte’ Graham broke the NBA tiebreaker system on his way to Cancun and left the Western Conference standings in flames behind him. Welcome to the most chaotic last-day setup for a No. 1 seed of all time. For the first time in NBA history, there is a three-way tie for first place in a conference after 81 games. The top seed in the West would have been undecided entering Sunday’s slate of games even if the Nuggets (56-25) had protected their 23-point lead against the Spurs. It just would have been more simple: Denver would have controlled…

By DAVE SKRETTA (AP Sports Writer) AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Jon Rahm went from fighting for the green jacket a year ago to fighting back from below the cut line at the Masters. The defending champion was 6 over Friday and in danger of missing the weekend after a three-putt double bogey at the par-4 14th. But during a roller-coaster finishing stretch, Rahm made a pair of birdies along with a three-putt bogey at No. 17 before a par at the tough final hole left him 5 over for the tournament, and one shot inside the cut line. The cut…

By STEVE REED (AP Sports Writer) AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Max Homa figures if he can conquer the mental task of playing well in a group with Tiger Woods for 36 holes at the Masters, he can accomplish pretty much anything in golf. That includes winning his first major championship. Homa was tied for the lead at 6-under 138 with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau heading into Saturday’s third round at Augusta National. The 33-year-old Homa is no stranger to winning. He has six PGA Tour victories and another on the European tour. He’s ranked 11th in…

TORONTO — The worm finally turned. During the Rockies’ painful and sluggish start to the season, manager Bud Black insisted that the offense would wake up. It did, with a vengeance, in a 12-4 throttling of the Blue Jays on Friday night at Rogers Centre. In their first-ever win in Toronto — they went 0-9 here in three previous trips — the Rockies pounded out 20 hits, including leadoff homers by Nolan Jones and Ezequiel Tovar. They chased reeling starter Kevin Gausman off the mound in the fourth inning. “It was a good feeling to see us break out the…

Colorado cornerback DJ McKinney during practice on April 2, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (CU Athletics) Throughout the 2023 season, DJ McKinney wasn’t associated with the Colorado football program, but he also couldn’t avoid hearing about it. “On social media, you open up your phone, that’s really the first thing you see about football: Colorado, Colorado,” said McKinney, who spent the past two seasons at Oklahoma State. Now, McKinney is looking to do his part to help the Buffaloes win, after transferring this winter. “Looking back at it, I really never thought I would see myself being a part of something…

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A lot of kids who grow up in the Twin Cities dream of playing for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey team. Tristan Broz was not one of them. Broz, who scored in overtime Thursday night to propel the University of Denver Pioneers to the 2024 NCAA championship game, was focused on playing at Xcel Energy Center someday — not seven miles west at Mariucci Arena for “The U.” “As a kid, I always just thought about playing in the NHL,” Broz said. Broz did end up playing for the Gophers. He thought staying home…

Keith Miller III, who played two seasons at Colorado and the past two years at Texas A&M-Commerce died in his apartment near the TAMUC campus on Thursday night. A receiver from The Colony, Texas, Miller, 22, played at CU in 2020 and 2021. He did not appear in any games before transferring to TAMUC, but left his mark on his teammates and coaches from his two years in Boulder. “As coaches we are so focused on wins and losses that we sometimes forget to check on our former players!” former CU player and assistant coach Darrin Chiaverini wrote on social…

As the final seconds ticked away in a season-ending loss against Marquette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Colorado guard KJ Simpson leaned dejectedly against the scorer’s table while lifting his gaze to the rafters. It was easy to assume Simpson was overcome by the moment, as the stirring late-season run by the CU men’s basketball team came to a sudden end. Yet maybe Simpson was savoring his final moments in a Buffaloes jersey, as well. After one of the most impressive individual seasons in program history, Simpson is ready to roll the dice at the next level.…

The summer travel season is close on the horizon and there’s turbulence between flight attendants and at least two of the airlines in Denver, including the airport’s largest carrier. About 70 United Airlines flight attendants staged informational picketing Thursday at Denver International Airport to focus attention on what they say is a lack of progress in contract negotiations after nearly three years. The airport was one of 18 across the country where flight attendants picketed. “There really is not much movement despite record profits and bonuses to employee executives,” said Chris Bruton, president of the Local United Association of Flight…

Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series of NFL draft previews as it relates to the Broncos. Previous previews: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. Today: offensive linemen Broncos’ in-house moves: Signed offensive linemen Calvin Throckmorton, Matt Peart and Sam Mustipher to one-year deals. Under contract: Garett Bolles (one year), Alex Forsyth (three years), Quinn Meinerz (one year), Mike McGlinchey (five years), Ben Powers (three years), Alex Palczewski (two years), Throckmorton, Mustipher and Peart. Need scale: 7. Despite Denver adding a pair of offensive linemen in free agency, it still needs to address the future of the…