Shiffrin passes Vonn with record 83rd win
Exhaustion. Relief. Satisfaction. American skier Mikaela Shiffrin felt all that and more after winning a record 83rd World Cup race Tuesday.
Shiffrin’s giant-slalom victory in San Vigilio di Marebbe, Italy, broke a tie on the all-time women’s list with former American teammate Lindsey Vonn, who retired four years ago when injuries cut her career short.
“I don’t think there are words to explain all the feelings,” Shiffrin said. “In the end of it, it’s like there’s too much excitement to feel. I don’t know if that makes sense. So it’s something you can’t explain. So I just try to breathe a bit and enjoy it.”
Shiffrin, 27, needs three more wins to match Ingemar Stenmark’s overall record — between men and women — of 86 victories. Stenmark competed in the 1970s and 80s.
Shiffrin led from start to finish at the Kronplatz resort in the Italian Dolomites, crossing 0.45 of a second ahead of world champion Lara Gut-Behrami.
• French skier Clément Noël ended his long victory drought, winning a night slalom race in
Schladming, Austria, for his first victory since winning Olympic gold in February.
Nuggets ride Jokic’s triple-double to win
Nikola Jokic returned to Denver’s lineup after missing two games because of tightness in his left hamstring and had 25 points — including the go-ahead jumper with 16.2 seconds left — 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Nuggets edged the Pelicans 99-98 in New Orleans.
• In other highlights, Bam Adebayo had 30 points and 15 rebounds, including the jump shot that put host Miami ahead to stay with 20.4 seconds remaining, and the Heat rallied from 14 down to beat the Boston Celtics 98-95. Jayson Tatum finished with 31 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for the Celtics, who lost their second straight . ... Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin each scored 26 points and Mathurin’s short, go-ahead basket with 29.1 seconds left helped the host Indiana Pacers close out a rally from 21 points down to beat the Chicago Bulls 116-110 and snap a sevengame losing streak . ... Julius Randle had 36 points and 13 rebounds, and his eighth 3-pointer snapped a tie with 2:07 left as the host New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-103.
• Kevin Durant is at least two weeks away from returning to the Brooklyn Nets, the team said, though his right knee, injured Jan. 8, is improving enough for him to resume some basketball activities this week.
College basketball: Mike Miles Jr. scored 23 points and 11thranked TCU (16-4, 5-3 Big 12) led throughout in a 79-52 win over visiting Oklahoma .. ... Nijel Pack and Isaiah Wong scored 18 points apiece as No. 20 Miami (16-4, 7-3 ACC) cruised to an 86-63 win at Florida State.
• Stanford signee Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former NBA player Peja Stojakovic out of Jesuit High-Sacramento, has been selected to the McDonald’s AllAmerican Game, ESPN said.
NFL: Bill O’Brien has agreed to return to the New England Patriots as their offensive coordinator. O’Brien, the Houston Texans’ head coach from 2014 through ’20, spent the past two seasons as offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama.
Soccer: The Portland Thorns fired athletic trainer Pierre Soubrier after an outside investigation found he illegally distrubted a controlled substance to players, the National Women’s Soccer League said.