Top News:
Julia Poe / Chicago Tribune:
Chicago Bulls will compete for a playoff spot Friday in Miami after erasing a 19-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 109-105 — TORONTO — With 28.7 seconds left in Wednesday's play-in tournament game, DeMar DeRozan delivered his final blow to the Toronto Raptors in signature style …
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Chicago Sun Times, CHGO, The Athletic, Daily Herald and Mercury News
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Julia Poe / Chicago Tribune:
Were 9-year-old Diar DeRozan's screams the Chicago Bulls' secret weapon as the Toronto Raptors missed 18 free throws? — TORONTO — As the tide turned in the favor of the Chicago Bulls during Wednesday's 109-105 play-in tournament win over the Toronto Raptors, one constant sound was like a metronome …
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New York Post, Associated Press, Chicago Sun Times and The Athletic
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
Heat to host Bulls at 7 p.m. Friday in winner-take-all game for final East playoff berth — MIAMI — The Miami Heat have their opponent for Friday's winner-take-all NBA play-in game at the Kaseya Center, with the final remaining Eastern Conference playoff berth at stake.
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
Heat-Bulls with plenty of subplots, but desperation ultimately at Friday's forefront — MIAMI — As they waited to see if their season would continue, the Chicago Bulls received reaffirmation Tuesday night as they watched from Toronto: The Miami Heat are vulnerable.
Discussion:
Mercury News and The Athletic
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
Heat shrink in 116-105 loss to Hawks, now with all-or-nothing Friday game to salvage season — MIAMI — One game, one chance, one night to salvage the season. — That is what it has come down to for the Miami Heat. — Failing to take advantage of the first of two chances to advance …
Discussion:
Mercury News, Associated Press, Bleacher Nation, The Athletic and Boston Herald
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
ASK IRA: Are Bulls or Raptors the Heat's preferred opponent in Friday's winner-take-all game? — Q: Ira, if Toronto beats Chicago that is a tough matchup for the Heat. - Joel. — A: And if Chicago beat Toronto on Wednesday night, that's a tough matchup for the Heat.
Discussion:
Boston Herald
Ira Winderman / Sun-Sentinel:
Winderman's view: Roster flaws hit home at worst possible time for Heat — MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Tuesday night's 116-105 NBA play-in loss to the Atlanta Hawks: — All those clutch games within five points in the final five minutes?
Discussion:
Boston Herald
Jeff Passan / ESPN:
Salt Lake City group joins MLB expansion chase — A Salt Lake City consortium led by the former owner of the Utah Jazz plans to pursue a Major League Baseball franchise in the coming years, touting the area's population growth, strong economy and baseball history as draws for a coveted expansion slot …
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Deseret News, MLB Trade Rumors, True Blue LA, AZ Snake Pit, Front Office Sports, Yahoo Sports, KUER and FanSided
Tommy Birch / Des Moines Register:
Seiya Suzuki homers in Iowa Cubs game Wednesday. Is this his last before jumping back to majors? — The first pitch Seiya Suzuki saw Wednesday afternoon was a 91.4 mile per hour four-seam fastball from Omaha Storm Chasers pitcher Austin Cox that drifted over the outer part of the plate.
Discussion:
Bleacher Nation and Cubs Insider
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Bruce Finley / Denver Post:
Denver weather: High fire danger as wind buffets dry ground amid heat — Red flag warning issued for metro Denver — A third day in a row of summer-like heat with temperatures reaching 79 degrees and wind gusting at speeds up to 45 miles per hour, buffeting dry ground, is expected to create critical fire weather Thursday.
Discussion:
Morning Call
David Lyons / Sun-Sentinel:
Fort Lauderdale airport closed until Friday, stranding hundreds of passengers — From a flooded Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to inundated streets of Broward County, a transportation nightmare was all but guaranteed Thursday after unprecedented rains pounded the area the day before.
Tim Healey / Newsday:
Mets fail to get big hit, fall to Padres — Making the final out of the Mets' 4-2 loss to the Padres on Tuesday night was the unproductive prodigy, Francisco Alvarez, who in his second game of the year — seventh of his life in the majors — struck out against Josh Hader, San Diego's combustible closer.
Discussion:
New York Daily News and Faith and Fear in Flushing
Rob Longley / Toronto Sun:
Blue Jays fans now extremely close to visitors' bullpens. What could go wrong? — In his days of managing high-stakes post-season games in stadiums jammed with emotional fans, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has a good idea of how energy level can ratchet up from friendly fandom to something else.
Discussion:
Bluebird Banter
Abbey Mastracco / New York Daily News:
Slow rollers help Mets beat Padres in 1st game between teams since NL Wild Card series — Home field advantage typically refers to bigger locker rooms, shorter commutes and friendly fans, but facing the San Diego Padres on Monday night at Citi Field, the Mets received an advantage in the form of some dirt and paint.
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Denver Post and Newsday
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Abbey Mastracco / New York Daily News:
Mets Notebook: Starling Marte still out with sore neck
Mets Notebook: Starling Marte still out with sore neck
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New York Post