Basketball

DENVER (AP) — It was a popular theme before the NBA Finals started — about how the Nuggets, an up-tempo team with fresh legs that could exploit the mile-high altitude in Denver, would have a good chance to wear down the Miami Heat.

DENVER (AP) — Erik Spoelstra bristled at the suggestion the Miami Heat somehow solved Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets by allowing the superstar to score at will while taking away his passing lanes and his penchant to elevate his teammates.

DENVER (AP) — Duncan Robinson flexed and then flashed his mean face after a cutting layup. No disrespect meant. The Miami Heat forward was just having a little fun in the fourth quarter.

DENVER (AP) — Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra practically snickered when asked about neutralizing the effective two-man game played by Denver Nuggets teammates Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

DENVER (AP) — Rick Adelman’s influence is all over this year’s NBA Finals, which makes his being honored during the title series even more fitting.

VIENNA, Austria (AP) — The U.S. beat France 16-12 to win the gold medal at the 3-on-3 women’s World Cup on Sunday, while Serbia prevented an American sweep by rallying to beat the U.S. 21-19 in the men’s title game.

DENVER (AP) — Some might say Stan Kroenke and his family would be pulling off the impossible by bringing a long-awaited NBA title to Denver.

DENVER (AP) — Nuggets rookie Christian Braun gets high praise from coach Michael Malone, and his star teammates Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray also rave about the rookie. And praise from them is nice, for certain.

DENVER (AP) — For the Miami Heat, shooting at Denver's 5,280 feet of mile-high altitude during Game 1 of the NBA Finals wasn’t a problem. Not shooting from 15 feet — the distance from the basket to the foul line — was.

NEW YORK (AP) — Julius Randle has undergone arthroscopic surgery on the left ankle that the All-Star forward injured late in the regular season and then again in the playoffs.