Page 16 - AT Sept 3 2020

A16 sports
Thursday 3 sepTember 2020
Nuggets edge Jazz 80-78 to complete comeback from 3-1 down

By BRIAN MAHONEY Jokic, their All-Star center
AP Basketball Writer who tossed in a short hook
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) shot in the lane after the
— Jamal Murray helped Jazz had tied it at 78.
a heartbroken Donovan "That's when you need
Mitchell off the floor for Nikola to step up," Malone
a handshake and hug, a said.
show of respect between Murray and Mitchell be-
players who had a memo- came the first pair of play-
rable battle in the bubble. ers to have two 50-point
They traded historic offen- games in the same series,
sive fireworks for six games, but the men in the middle
before Game 7 turned into were the biggest factors in
an old-fashioned defensive this one.
struggle. After a quiet first half in
"It was a great battle. I don't which Mitchell was all the
know what else to say. I'm Jazz had going, Gobert be-
speechless," Murray said. gan dominating the paint,
The ending left everyone keeping possessions alive
out of words. on offense and stopping
Nikola Jokic made the tie- Denver drives on defense.
breaking basket with 27 But the Nuggets prevailed
seconds left and the Nug- Utah Jazz's Mike Conley, middle center, Royce O'Neale, bottom center, Jazz head coach Quin in their third Game 7 in the
gets advanced to the sec- Snyder, center rear, and Denver Nuggets' Jamal Murray, right, watch as Conley's shot rims out last two years, having de-
ond round of the playoffs, in the closing seconds of their NBA first round playoff basketball game, Tuesday, Sept. 1,2020, in feated San Antonio in the
beating the Utah Jazz 80- Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Associated Press first round last year before
78 on Tuesday night when getting knocked out by
Mike Conley's 3-pointer Jazz got the ball to Mitch- the locker room, any one interesting series. But after Portland. They played three
spun out at the buzzer. ell following a timeout. The of these coaches. We 3-1 I didn't think it was go- more do-or-die games in
The Nuggets became the Nuggets stole it from him could've easy chalked it up ing to be this interesting," the bubble to extend their
12th team in NBA history to and raced down for a fast in the first half. We have grit Jokic said. "So I'm glad that stay.
overcome a 3-1 deficit to break, but Torrey Craig and fight. That's all you can we won the game and I'm Denver controlled the first
win a series, but only after missed the layup. Utah re- really ask for." glad that we won the se- half and had a 19-point
they blew a 19-point lead bounded and pushed the Jokic had 30 points and ries." lead a minute into the
in this game. ball up the floor to Conley, 14 rebounds and Murray Mitchell scored 22 points third quarter. Mitchell then
"A lot of teams would have whose jumper looked good scored 17 points. No. 3 and Rudy Gobert finished scored nine straight points
just given in, especially all the way until it fell out. seed Denver advanced to with 19 points and 18 re- before Conley hit a 3-point-
when you consider we've "It looked good, man. face the second-seeded bounds after a huge sec- er that cut it to 55-48. The
been here 57 days away Sometimes, it's just the way Los Angeles Clippers in the ond half for the Jazz. Jazz got it all the way down
from our families," Nuggets it works," Mitchell said. Western Conference semi- Murray shot only 7 for 21, far to 65-60 after Gobert con-
coach Michael Malone "We fought hard and came finals. off his performances of the verted a three-point play
said. back. I'd go to war with "Before the series started I past three games. So the for the final points of the
After Jokic's basket, the any one of these guys in felt it was going to be an Nuggets turned more to period.q

Michael Jordan gets stake in DraftKings for advisory role

Boston-based company’s Jordan’s interest in Draft- dle games involving his
board of directors, the Kings is not expected to NBA club. Golden Nugget
company said. DraftKings affect the Hornets’ pres- sports books in Nevada,
did not release details on ence on the site. The NBA New Jersey and Mississippi
the size of Jordan’s stake. agreed to a multiyear can accept NBA wagers,
Shares of DraftKings Inc., deal about a year ago to but cannot for games in-
which went public in April, make DraftKings an official volving the Rockets.
ended up 8% on Wednes- sports-betting operator. Jordan has made no
day. The NBA has several similar secret of his affinity for
Jordan is the majority own- arrangements, including gambling, whether play-
er of the NBA’s Charlotte one with DraftKings’ long- ing blackjack in casinos
Hornets and the deal has time daily fantasy sports or making bets during a
the league’s approval. rival FanDuel. The league round of golf. As a player
In this Jan. 24, 2020 file photo, former basketball superstar “NBA team investors, in- also struck a first-of-its-kind for the Chicago Bulls, he
Michael Jordan speaks during a news conference ahead cluding governors, are deal with MGM Resorts In- famously went to Atlantic
of NBA basketball game between Charlotte Hornets and permitted to have in- ternational in 2018 to be City in between games
Milwaukee Bucks in Paris. volvement with sports bet- compensated for provid- of the 1993 Eastern Con-
Associated Press ting and fantasy sports ing official data as a way ference finals against the
By MATT OTT Jordan is taking an owner- businesses, subject to for those casinos to deter- New York Knicks, revealing
AP Business Writer ship stake in the sports bet- safeguards required un- mine outcomes of various details of the trip in “The
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) ting site. der league rules to pre- bets. That differs from the Last Dance” docuseries re-
— DraftKings had a big Jordan is getting stock in vent actual or perceived way Golden Nugget ca- leased earlier this year by
bounce on Wall Street DraftKings in exchange for conflicts of interest,” an sinos, owned by Houston ESPN and Netflix. Jordan
Wednesday on news that providing “guidance and NBA spokesperson said Rockets owner Tilman Fer- also said he never bet on
basketball legend Michael strategic advice” to the Wednesday. titta, are permitted to han- NBA games. q