4/18/22 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Monday
18 April 2022 Sports
Sports for Monday
On a night when their usually potent offense was searching for answers, the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks had to rely on their defense in their playoff opener.
Fortunately for the Bucks, that’s the one part of their game that was at a championship level.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 27 points and 16 rebounds, and the third-seeded Bucks recovered after blowing a 16-point lead to beat the sixth-seeded Chicago Bulls 93-86 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Sunday. Jrue Holiday, hit a 3-pointer with 5:03 left put the Bucks ahead for good. Holiday’s 3-pointer was part of an 8-0 run that gave the Bucks an 85-78 edge. The Bulls got the margin down to one but could never regain the lead, as Zach LaVine missed a potential tying 3-pointer from nearly 30 feet away with 29 seconds left.
Milwaukee overcame its struggles on offense by holding the Bulls to the lowest single-game point total of any Bucks opponent all season. The Bulls shot a season-low 32.3% from the floor in their first playoff appearance in five years. They were 7 of 37 on 3-point attempts. In the fourth quarter, the Bulls were 6 of 28 and 1 of 12 from 3-point range.
The Bucks, who have won 17 of their last 18 meetings with the Bulls, grabbed an early 32-16 lead and threatened to put this game out of reach early. But they struggled to score the rest of the way. After shooting 53.8% (14 of 26) in the first quarter, the Bucks made just 34.5% of their attempts (20 of 58) the rest of the way. They had an equal number of turnovers and baskets – 14 – in the second half. They finished with 21 turnovers. They scored just three points in the first 6 minutes, 57 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Brook Lopez scored 18 points, Holiday had 15, Khris Middleton had 11 and Bobby Portis added 10. Portis also had 12 rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 17 rebounds but shot 9 of 27. Zach LaVine had 18 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 6 of 19. DeMar DeRozan, who scored 18 points but shot 6 of 25.
The Bulls didn’t take their first lead until late in the third quarter. They took their last lead at 78-77 on Vucevic’s inside basket with 5:56 left before the Bucks scored eight straight points.
Alex Caruso’s layup with 1:36 left cut Milwaukee’s advantage to 87-86, but the Bulls wouldn’t score again. Game 2 is Wednesday in Milwaukee.
Elsewhere in the NBA Playoffs, Miami won at home over Atlanta 115-91, the Celtics edged the Nets in Boston, 115-114 and Phoenix won at home over New Orleans, 110-99.
Tonight, Toronto (1-0) is at Philadelphia, Utah (1-0) is at Dallas and Denver is at Golden State (1-0).
Tyrone Taylor hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to give Milwaukee a cushion, and the Brewers outlasted Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Sunday. Pujols hit his 681st career homer, a three-run shot in the third inning off Aaron Ashby that tied the game at 3, but the Brewers regained the lead in the fourth on Willy Adames’ bases-loaded walk and held on from there.
Taylor’s seventh-inning double made it 6-3. St. Louis got within one in the eighth against Devin Williams, but Josh Hader struck out two during a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the season and 100th of his career. Hader became the third pitcher in Brewers history to record 100 saves, joining Dan Plesac (133) and John Axford (106). He is the 160th player to reach the century mark since the save became an official statistic in 1969. Hader needed just 286 1/3 innings and 236 appearances to achieve the feat.
Jake Cousins (2-0) worked a scoreless fifth for Milwaukee. St. Louis starter Dakota Hudson (0-1) allowed four runs, three earned, in three innings.
Making his first start of the season after two relief appearances, Ashby issued four walks and a pair of hits over four innings. The three runs he allowed — all on Pujols’ blast — were unearned thanks to an error on Milwaukee second baseman Kolten Wong to open the inning.
The Brewers jumped ahead 3-0 in the first. Andrew McCutchen had a sacrifice fly, and Rowdy Tellez hit a run-scoring double to the wall in left-center. Milwaukee got another run on a throwing error by catcher Andrew Knizner.
Hudson retired six of his next seven batters before Keston Hirua brought his day to an end with a single to lead off the fourth. Reliever T.J. McFarland gave up a single and a walk to load the bases. After striking out Wong, McFarland lost a seven-pitch battle to Adames that gave Milwaukee the lead.
Brewers left-hander Eric Lauer (0-0, 6.23) looks for his first victory of the season Monday (tonight) when Milwaukee continues its’ home-stand tonight with Pittsburgh. First pitch is at 6:40 and the game can be heard on AM 1100/98.3 FM, WISS.
In other games in the NL Central on Sunday, the Pirates beat the Nationals 5-3, the Cubs downed the Rockies 6-4 and the Dodgers pounded the Reds 9-1.
Nikola Jokic is a finalist to win a second straight NBA MVP award, along with two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. The NBA unveiled the top-three finishers in voting for its individual awards Sunday, with the expected names in the running for the marquee award. Jokic, the Denver Nuggets center, ended Antetokounmpo’s two-year reign last season and was every bit as good this season. Embiid, hoping to join them in the MVP club, led the NBA in scoring.
The winners of the awards will be announced during the postseason.
The other finalists are:
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Mikal Bridges (Phoenix), Rudy Gobert (Utah), Marcus Smart (Boston).
COACH OF THE YEAR
Taylor Jenkins (Memphis), Erik Spoelstra (Miami), Monty Williams (Phoenix).
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Darius Garland (Cleveland), Ja Morant (Memphis), Dejounte Murray (San Antonio).
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Scottie Barnes (Toronto), Cade Cunningham (Detroit), Evan Mobley (Cleveland).
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR
Tyler Herro (Miami), Cam Johnson (Phoenix), Kevin Love (Cleveland).
Jordan Spieth claimed his first win of the season at the RBC Heritage after a dramatic playoff victory over Patrick Cantlay. The American beat his compatriot on the first hole of their sudden-death playoff at Harbour Town Golf Links, recording a par while Cantlay could only register a bogey. It capped off a remarkable Sunday for Spieth, who roared into contention with a five-under 66 — including two eagles in the opening five holes — setting the clubhouse lead at 13-under par.
Cantlay carded a final-round 68 to join Spieth at the top of the leaderboard, but after both players found the bunker on the 18th hole in the playoff, Spieth produced a moment of magic from the sand to claim his 13th PGA Tour victory with FedExCup champion Cantlay only able to find the back of the green with his bunker shot.
High School Baseball (Sat.)
Oshkosh North 9, West De Pere 5
New Berlin West 8, Oshkosh North 5
Baseball (Mon.)
Plymouth at Sheboygan North
Kettle Moraine Lutheran at Cedarburg
Menaha at Shawano
Seymour at New London
West De Pere at Xavier
Weyauwega-Fremont at Iola-Scandinavia
Kaukauna at De Pere
Oshkosh North at Appleton North
Clintonville at Wrightstown
Fox Valley Lutheran at Marinette
Freedom at Oconto Falls
Little Chute at Luxemburg-Casco
Waupaca at Denmark
Adams-Friendship at Pacelli
Nekoosa at Spencer
Lodi at Wisconsin Dells
Cambria-Friesland at Pardeeville
Central Wisconsin Christian at Markesan
Lourdes Academy at Green Lake/Princeton
Wayland Academy at Montello
Randolph at Oakfield
North Central (Mi.) at Randolph (2 games)
Rio at Fall River
Parkview at Horicon
Palmyra-Eagle at Hustisford/Dodgeland
Girls Softball (Mon.)
Notre Dame at Plymouth
New London at Winneconne
North Fond du Lac at Howards Grove
Beaver Dam at Verona
Menasha at Oshkosh North
Seymour at Fox Valley Lutheran
Clintonville at Shawano
Weyauwega-Fremont at Iola-Scandinavia
Wild Rose at Tri-County
West De Pere at Fond du Lac
Hortonville at Freedom
Sheboygan North at Kimberly
Neenah at Oshkosh West
Oconto Falls at Little Chute (2 games)
Nekoosa at Spencer
Westfield at Waterloo
Lourdes Academy at Cambria-Friesland
Markesan at Wayland Academy
Montello at Randolph
Oakfield at Pardeeville
Palmyra-Eagle at Dodgeland/Hustisford
Rio at Fall River
Parkview at Horicon
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