Basketball

Miami Heat (44-38, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (53-29, first in the Western Conference) Denver; Sunday, 8 p.m. EDT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE : Nuggets -8.5; over/under is 215.

DETROIT (AP) — Monty Williams is taking over the Detroit Pistons. The team said Friday it reached an agreement with Williams to fill its coaching vacancy.

DENVER (AP) — Memphis guard Ja Morant not being charged with a crime for twice displaying a gun on social media will not prevent the NBA from handing down more discipline, Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday.

DENVER (AP) — Joking around before the start of the NBA Finals, Charles Barkley and Grant Hill took hits from oxygen masks they brought onto the set for a pregame TV show. But the thin air in Denver is no joke.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns hired former NBA champion coach Frank Vogel on Friday to replace Monty Williams, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

DENVER (AP) — Udonis Haslem has been through almost everything in his 20 seasons with the Miami Heat. On that list: Game 1 losses in the NBA Finals. He’s seen lots of those — six of them, actually, in seven tries during his Heat career.

DENVER (AP) — The highlight of Game 1 for Jamal Murray came when he dribbled into the paint, put all his weight on his surgically repaired left knee, made a full clockwise turn, then faded away and swished a mid-range jumper. The Kitchener, Ont.

DENVER (AP) — All those smooth-looking, long-range jumpers Michael Porter Jr. hits have definitely been a reward for Denver. Easy to forget just how much of a risk he was early on for the Nuggets. They rolled the dice at No.

DENVER (AP) — Aaron Gordon isn't just the Denver Nuggets' defensive stalwart, he's their jump starter.

DENVER (AP) — Miami could blame it on fatigue, or that much-talked-about Mile High elevation. Or maybe this was just one of those nights.