Denver

FIRE SEASON SO FAR: This year's drought, low snowpack and warm temperatures are expected to make for a busy wildfire season in much of the West. Colorado's season started in March, the driest March on record in Denver. That month three people died in a wildfire that damaged or destroyed 23 homes in the foothills southwest of Denver. It was sparked by embers from a controlled burn by the state forest service. Earlier that month, a wildfire on the state's Eastern Plains burned more than 84 square miles, causing a half-million dollars' worth of damage.

The Boston Cannons (4-0) received three goals apiece from Kevin Buchanan, Mike Stone, and Paul Rabil in a 17-10 Major League Lacrosse win over the host Denver Outlaws (3-1) on Saturday. "We knew it was going to be a challenge, but it was mostly business as usual this week," said Cannons head coach Steve Duffy. "Denver is a good team and we knew we had to come in here and play well. Paul is a great team player and understands what we need to do to win, and were able to do it tonight.

For those fans already giving the AFC West title and maybe a whole lot more to the Mannings, uh, Broncos, some words of caution. Sure, Denver won the division last season, but it hardly was a display of power. The Broncos went 8-8 in the weakest sector in the NFL, winning mostly on defense, long-range field goals and the resilience of Tim Tebow. Not to mention some incredible good fortune and brain freeze by opponents. And yes, that formula is certain to change quite a bit with Peyton Manning running the show.

FIRE SEASON SO FAR: This year's drought, low snowpack and warm temperatures are expected to make for a busy wildfire season in much of the West. Colorado's season started in March, the driest March on record in Denver. That month three people died in a wildfire that damaged or destroyed 23 homes in the foothills southwest of Denver. It was sparked by embers from a controlled burn by the state forest service. Earlier that month, a wildfire on the state's Eastern Plains burned more than 84 square miles, causing a half-million dollars' worth of damage.

Arron Afflalo hit a 19-footer at the buzzer and the Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks, 121-120, last night, ending the Mavericks’ 10-game win streak. Carmelo Anthony scored 42 points and Chauncey Billups had 30 for Denver, which overcame a 9-point deficit in the last 2:51 to win. Afflalo scored 7 points to help the Nuggets rally from 119-110 down. Nene hit 1 of 2 free throws with 33.3 seconds left to tie it, and Dirk Nowitzki hit one free throw with 19.6 seconds left to give Dallas a 1-point lead.

DENVER -- Welcome to Sports Authority Field at Mile High where the Steelers and Broncos will face off for the right to face the top-seeded Patriots. A couple of quick-hit thoughts: I will be watching very closely how Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) moves in the pocket. They'll likely get C Maurkice Pouncey (ankle-out) back next week, so I'm not that concerned about the Steelers' protection (it's never that good). It's important how Roethlisberger moves.

They have been here before, yet it will be unfamiliar territory. The Patriots will play at Denver, in an AFC divisional round game Saturday night, almost three months to the day they were pounded in the Mile High City during the regular season. But the Patriots, who flew past Jacksonville, 28-3, Saturday at Gillette Stadium, are not the same team they were when the Broncos ran out to a 28-3 lead before claiming a 28-20 victory. "Well, we don't make excuses for our losses," Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest said.

Doc Rivers remembered how things shook down the last time a Western Conference team came into TD Garden and scratched its superstar minutes before the game. Oklahoma City sat out Kevin Durant Nov. 19, the Celtics kicked their feet up, and the next thing they knew the Thunder had walked out with a 89-84 win, thanks to Russell Westbrook’s 31-point ambush. Last night, late word came down that the Nuggets were going to sit Carmelo Anthony because of a right knee inflammation, and Rivers tried two coaching methods.

DENVER - Architect Patricia Swan's life reflected the buildings she designed: a solid exterior made to weather environmental conditions and an interior that shelters the people and things that matter most. Ms. Swan, who was born in Malden, Mass., helped shape the landscape of downtown Denver. She was the lead designer on Republic Plaza, Denver's tallest office building, and many of the buildings she designed in the city and around the world as an architect at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill still stand.

The University of Denver went into this weekend hoping to make an impression on the iron of Hockey East. On Friday night, the third-ranked ranked Pioneers certainly got Boston College's attention, beating the top-ranked Eagles, 4-2. Last night, Denver's sights were set on No. 8 Boston University. But the Terriers turned the tables on their opponents from the WCHA, skating to a 4-3 victory in front of 5,930 at Agganis Arena. Denver hasn't beaten BU since Nov. 26, 2004, and the Terriers have a 14-12-2 record in the series.

Pau Gasol was consumed by determination, holding off Kenneth Faried with one arm and relentlessly tipping the ball at the hoop with the other in the fourth quarter of Game 7. One, two, three, four — five! — offensive rebounds later, the ball finally surrendered and dropped through the hoop. A few minutes later, the truth was as undeniable as that 7-foot Spaniard. Although the Nuggets drove them to the brink of playoff collapse, the Los Angeles Lakers still have the tenacity to win on the biggest nights of the postseason.

Although George Karl has spent nearly a quarter-century on NBA benches, the Denver coach can't beat down the butterflies when he thinks about the Nuggets' next game. With a third straight victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, Denver would become just the ninth team to escape a 3-1 series deficit, completing an improbable comeback against Kobe Bryant and Co. The Nuggets have stared down two elimination games with a maturity their coach only hoped he would see in this series, sending the bigger, stronger Lakers staggering home for a big...

Ty Lawson scored 32 points, fellow spark plug Corey Brewer added 18 and the Nuggets forced a Game 7 in their first-round playoff series with a dominating 113-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night in Denver. The free-wheeling Nuggets are one win from running the lumbering Lakers right out of the playoffs. Game 7 in the Western Conference series is Saturday night at the Staples Center. This will be the Nuggets' first all-or-nothing playoff game since losing to Utah in Game 7 of the 1994 conference semifinals.

DENVER - Jerry McMorris, one of the instrumental figures in bringing the Colorado Rockies to Denver, has died, the team said in a statement. The team said that Mr. McMorris died Tuesday in Denver of cancer. He was 71. Mr. McMorris was part of a group that purchased a controlling interest in the club in 1992, a year before the team started play. He served as chairman, president, and chief executive of the team until 2001. He was part of the team's ownership group until 2005.

DENVER - A bear whose photograph was widely circulated after it was tranquilized and fell from a tree at the University of Colorado last month died this week when it was hit by two cars after returning to town, probably looking for food. A photo captured the 280-pound black bear in midair, its arms and legs spread, after it was tranquilized April 26. The animal was relocated 50 miles away to the mountains, but was struck around dawn Thursday on US Highway 36, which connects Denver to Boulder.

Kobe Bryant scored 38 points, Andrew Bynum followed up his playoff-opening triple-double with 27 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers weathered Denver's late rally for a 104-100 victory over the Nuggets on Tuesday night, taking a 2-0 series lead. Pau Gasol had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the third-seeded Lakers, who still haven't trailed in this series despite nearly crumbling against a much-improved effort by the Nuggets and Ty Lawson, who scored 25 points and led the fourth-quarter charge.

COLORADO SPRINGS -- Luke Fulghum scored with 2:28 left, and Adam Berkhoel made 33 saves to lead Denver to a 1-0 victory over North Dakota in the NCAA West Regional championship game last night. Denver (25-12-5) advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time since 1986. The Pioneers will play the winner of today's Midwest Regional final between Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth. Fulghum tipped Max Bull's slap shot past goalie Jordan Parise for the only goal of the game. "Bull ripped it on net. I got a piece and it went in," Fulghum said.

The Pepsi Center remains Dwyane Wade’s personal house of horrors. The Miami Heat star fell to 0-6 in Denver when Carmelo Anthony (22 points) and Nene (15 points) led the Nuggets to a 114-96 rout last night. Denver is the only city where Wade has never won in his seven seasons in the NBA. He snapped an 0-11 skid at Indiana earlier this season and had high hopes for another breakthrough against the Nuggets - 96-88 losers last month in Miami. Despite Wade’s 25 points, this one wasn’t close.

The New England Patriots have selected Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower with their second pick in the first round of the NFL draft. The Patriots traded their own first-rounder, the No. 31 pick overall, to Denver along with a fourth-rounder for the No. 25 overall pick. Hightower is 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds. Earlier, the Patriots traded the No. 27 pick and a third-rounder to Cincinnati for the right to pick Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones.

Care.com, a Waltham online subscription service for finding caregivers, is setting up operations in the United Kingdom - its first international expansion, the company said Monday. The company launched the website uk.care.com last week and has already attracted families looking for caregivers and thousands of applications from providers, according to Care.com cofounder Donna Levin. A small team of Care.com employees is working out of a new office in London. The UK website is the first step in what company executives hope will be a larger expansion.