The Denver Nuggets rebounded from one of their worst performances of the season to hand the Chicago Bulls their worst home defeat of the season, winning 108-91 last night in Chicago. Ty Lawson led five Nuggets in double-figures with 27 points. Andre Miller posted a double-double off the bench, with 12 points and 12 assists. The Nuggets snap a two-game losing streak and move to 27-23 on the season. They visit the Toronto Raptors Wednesday.
Category: Sports
Huskers Take Rubber Game From Illini
The Nebraska baseball team finished their first ever Big Ten conference series with a flourish, taking the rubber game against Illinois 13-3 at Hawks Field yesterday afternoon. The Huskers fell behind in the top half of the first inning, but tied the score in the bottom half and took the lead for good with four runs in the third. Chad Christensen drove in four runs in the victory, tying a career-high in the process. Richard Stock and Kash Kalkowski each collected three RBI. Zach Hirsch earned his third win of the season by working seven strong innings, allowing one run on just three hits. After losing the series opener by an 11-3 score, the Big Red outscored the Illini 31-8 on Saturday and Sunday to take the series. The Huskers move to 17-9 with the win. They host Kansas State tomorrow night.
Helton Homers Twice As Rockies Beat Reds
The old guard for the Colorado Rockies swung big bats in a 7-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Cactus League action in Scottsdale, Arizona yesterday afternoon. Todd Helton hit a pair of solo home runs, his first two dingers of the spring, off of Reds ace Johnny Cueto. Casey Blake, the veteran third baseman trying to shake off a nagging injury, also left the yard for the Rockies, hitting a two-run shot to center field for his first homer of the spring. On the mound, Jhoulys Chacin worked five innings and allowed two runs on six hits. Alex White worked two shutout innings in relief and Esmil Rogers worked a scoreless ninth as both hurlers bid to make the Opening Day roster. The Rockies improve their Cactus League record to 12-10 with the win. They face the Los Angeles Angels this afternoon in Tempe.
Nuggets Drop Second Straight, Fall Further Behind in Playoff Hunt
Kevin Love followed up his 51-point game with 30 points and 21 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 117-100 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 28 points in the first half en route to losing their second straight game. Kenneth Faried led the Nuggets with 17 points. JaVale McGee posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Nuggets played without starting shooting guard Arron Afflalo, who was suspended for throwing an elbow at Jazz forward Gordon Hayward’s head on Friday night. The loss drops the Nuggets to 26-23. They currently sit outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference. The Nuggets will try and get their first win on their current seven-game road trip when they visit the Chicago Bulls tonight.
Huskers Open Big Ten Play With Home Series Against Illinois
No Big Ten baseball team has compiled more wins than Nebraska’s 15 so far this spring. Tonight, the Huskers get to start testing themselves against the rest of the competition in their new conference. The Huskers and the Illinois Fighting Illini play game one of their three game series tonight at Hawks Field in Lincoln. Nebraska’s 15-8 overall record puts them second in the league on winning percentage behind Purdue, who is 14-3. Illinois is in a tie for third with Michigan State with a 10-7 non-conference mark. The Huskers will send right-hander Tom Lemke to the mound to open the series, with Jon Keller and Zach Hirsch to follow in the rotation. Illinois will counter with righty Kevin Johnson. Tonight’s game, which will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, gets underway at 6:35.
Broncos Sign CB Porter to One-Year Deal
The Denver Broncos have reached an agreement with free agent cornerback Tracy Porter. Porter, a 25-year old veteran of four NFL seasons, will sign a one-year contract. Porter had played his entire career with the New Orleans Saints, where he’s tallied seven career interceptions. Ironically, the most famous play of Porter’s career was his pick-six in Super Bowl XLIV against new Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Porter is expected to start along with Champ Bailey at corner for the Broncos next season. Porter is the fourth free agent to agree to terms with the Broncos this offseason, joining Manning, safety Mike Adams, and receiver Andre Caldwell. The Broncos remain in talks to bring in a pair of Manning’s former Colt teammates: tight end Dallas Clark and center Jeff Saturday.
Storm Face Tough Weekend In USHL Playoff Push
The Tri-City Storm open this weekend’s action in the United States Hockey League holding on to the sixth and final playoff place in the Western Conference. That sets up a crucial weekend against tough competition for the Storm, which begins tonight when the Omaha Lancers come to the Viaero Events Center in Kearney. The Storm are one point behind Sioux City for fifth place in the West, but also are just two points ahead of Des Moines for sixth, with the Buccaneers having a game in hand. Tri-City is coming off a perfect home weekend, beating Fargo twice last Friday and Saturday. The Storm are hoping to even the season series against the Lancers at four wins apiece tonight, ahead of a Saturday night visit from defending Clark Cup champions Dubuque. Puck drop in Kearney tonight is set for 7:05.
Osborne’s Statement Denies Any Offers of Men’s Basketball Head Coaching Job
Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne released a statement yesterday denying reports that the vacant men’s basketball head coaching position has been offered to anyone. The Omaha World-Herald had reported that four different head coaches had denied overtures from the Huskers: UCLA’s Ben Howland, Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall, Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Colorado’s Tad Boyle. In the statement, Osborne says that he will not be offering the job to anyone that athletic department officials has not had a chance to meet with personally. On Monday, Osborne was in Atlanta to meet with Oral Roberts head coach Scott Sutton. He’s also previously sat down with Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s bench boss, Rob Jeter. It has been 13 days since Nebraska fired Doc Sadler after six seasons.
Late Lead Slips Away, Huskers Fall
The Nebraska baseball team will go into Big Ten conference play this weekend on a sour note after letting a late lead slip away in a 6-4 loss to Northern Colorado at Hawks Field yesterday afternoon. A two-run pinch-hit home-run by Pat Kelly, his third of the season, gave the Huskers a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the visiting Bears scored four times in the top of the eighth inning to regain the lead. An RBI single by Rich Sanguinetti in the ninth gave the Huskers hope, but the Bears shut down the rally to escape with the win and a two-game series split. The loss drops the Big Red to 15-8 on the season. On Friday, the Huskers open their first ever conference season in the Big Ten by opening a three-game series in Illinois. First pitch against the Illini on Friday is set for 6:35 PM.
McGee Makes Game-Winning Play in Nuggets Debut
The Denver Nuggets got a big play from their newest member to avoid disaster at the Pepsi Center last night. Javale McGee’s tip-dunk with five seconds left gave the Nuggets a 116-115 win over the Detroit Pistons. McGee, recently acquired from the Washington Wizards in a trade, followed a missed free throw from Arron Afflalo to put the Nuggets in front. The Pistons had come back from a 25-point first half deficit to take the lead thanks to Ben Gordon’s 45 points, but Gordon missed a game-winning shot attempt at the buzzer. Ty Lawson’s 25 points led the Nuggets on the night. The Nuggets finished up their season long nine game homestand with a 5-4 record and are 26-21 on the season. The team now embarks on a seven-game road trip, which opens up on Friday night against the Utah Jazz.