AP Sports SummaryBrief at 8:02 a.m. EDT

Cancel that flight plan, Denver. Turns out, the NBA Finals are starting in the Mile High City after all. And Jimmy Butler was proven right. Finally, we have a title-series matchup: The Miami Heat, champions of the Eastern Conference even after getting in as only the No. 8 seed, will take on the Western Conference champion Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The series starts in Denver on Thursday night. The Heat got there by winning Game 7 of the East title series in Boston on Monday night. It came one year to the day after the Celtics won a Game 7 on Miami’s floor to win the East title a year ago.

Denver Nuggets perfect the drama-free path to their spot on NBA's big stage

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets call it beautiful. Their no-drama way of conducting business doesn’t grab tons of headlines. But it has set the franchise up for its first NBA Finals in 47 years in the league. The story of the 2022-23 Nuggets feels like the opposite of the narratives of so many of their opponents in these playoffs. Unlike Denver, those teams are studded with stars, making headlines after big trades, featuring semiregulars on the police blotter and filled with drama up and down the roster.

Celtics fall apart in bid for NBA history and now enter offseason of questions

BOSTON (AP) — the Celtics entered their Game 7 matchup with the Heat eyeing a chance to make NBA history.  It may have evaporated on the very first play. Jayson Tatum rolled his left ankle on a layup attempt on Boston’s opening possession of the game, and he and the Celtics never were the same afterward, stumbling to a 103-84 loss. Boston was looking to extend a wild postseason ride that already included five wins when facing elimination — twice in the East semifinals after falling behind 3-2 to the 76ers, and three straight times against the Heat. Instead, for the second straight year Celtics season ended with a team receiving a trophy on their home floor.

Alcaraz, Djokovic 'not otherworldly' in French Open wins over foes making Slam debuts

PARIS (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic both picked up straight-set victories in the first round of the French Open against opponents ranked outside the Top 100 and making their Grand Slam debuts. Alcaraz is seeded No. 1, Djokovic is No. 3 and most everyone expects them to face each other in the semifinals. Alcaraz beat Flavio Cobolli on Monday. Djokovic defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic. With 14-time champion Rafael Nadal sidelined by injury and missing the clay-court major tournament, Alcaraz and Djokovic are popular picks to emerge as the men's champion.

Vegas, year removed from missing playoffs, gets to 2nd Stanley Cup Final

DALLAS (AP) — The Vegas Golden Knights are in their second Stanley Cup Final in the franchise's six seasons a year after the only time they missed the playoffs. Captain Mark Stone credits the front office for keeping the core intact. Vegas reached the Cup final with a 6-0 rout of Dallas in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final. Some of the leading scorers from the playoff run to the Cup final in 2018 as an expansion team are still in key roles. The only major change was with the coach. Bruce Cassidy just beat the man he replaced, Pete DeBoer. Cassidy was fired by Boston a year ago.

New Hampshire town recognized for historic role in racially integrating baseball in the 1940s

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire stadium is being recognized for playing a largely unheralded role in helping racially integrate baseball. Much of the attention has been on Jackie Robinson, who broke the major league color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. But a year earlier, Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella and Cy Young award-winning pitcher Don Newcombe helped make the Nashua Dodgers, a minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the first racially integrated baseball team in the United States. The Dodgers chose Nashua after finding resistance in other parts of the country and the players recalled being welcomed by the town's mostly white residents.

76ers hire former Raptors coach Nick Nurse, AP source says

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A person with knowledge of the decision says the Philadelphia 76ers have hired coach Nick Nurse weeks after he was fired by the Toronto Raptors. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the move. Nurse led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship after they beat the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Nurse will replace Doc Rivers, who was fired after he led the 76ers to their second straight 50-win season behind NBA MVP Joel Embiid but again failed to lead them to the Eastern Conference finals.

Pregnancy and sports a challenging combination for female professional athletes

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Recent allegations by WNBA player Dearica Hamby that her coach harassed her for being pregnant have shined a renewed spotlight on one of the biggest challenges that female professional athletes face. Juggling the demands of parenthood with those of a professional sports career is just one of myriad challenges female athletes face in an industry rife with pay disparities, harassment and bullying. The athletes say things are slowly getting better as new work contracts include provisions for increased pay, maternity leave and child care stipends. But they also say that pregnant athletes continue to encounter attitudes ranging from ambivalent to outright hostile from leagues, coaches — and even fellow players.

Column: Indy 500's ending creates controversy and conspiracies

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — It’s called “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” because the Indianapolis 500 is supposed to be one of the most dramatic and difficult races in the world. Sure, it’s an automobile race. But it’s also very much entertainment, even if Marcus Ericsson vehemently disagrees. The controversial ending to the 107th running of the Indy 500 gave Josef Newgarden the win. Newgarden drives for Roger Penske, who owns the race and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So when IndyCar went to an unprecedented one-lap shootout that allowed Newgarden to win the race, well, Ericsson was furious and conspiracy theorists went wild.

Blaney wins Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte to end winless drought

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Ryan Blaney pulled away late to win the rescheduled Coca-Cola 600 on Monday at Charlotte Speedway, giving team owner Roger Penske a sweep of the Memorial Day weekend’s top races in the United States. Josef Newgarden won a record-extending 19th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday for Team Penske. It marked the first time Team Penske has earned a sweep of the two races in the same year. Like Newgarden, Blaney went into the crowd to celebrate with fans. Blaney took the lead from William Byron on a restart and led the final 26 laps to win his first Cup Series race since the 2021 Daytona’s Coke Zero Sugar 400. Blaney’s victory snapped a 59-race drought.