3/1/23 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Wednesday
1 March 2023 Sports
Wednesday Sports
From Wayne Mausser
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 15 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to 15 games by beating the Brooklyn Nets 118-104 on Tuesday night.
Jrue Holiday had 14 points and eight assists for the Bucks, who went 10-0 in February and have passed the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA. They got Antetokounmpo back after he missed their victory over Phoenix on Sunday with a bruised right quadriceps.
Brook Lopez added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Khris Middleton had 18 points off the bench. Milwaukee held Brooklyn to 42 second-half points, dealing the Nets their third straight loss and seventh in their past nine games.
Mikal Bridges led Brooklyn with 31 points. Spencer Dinwiddie had 26 points and eight assists, and Cam Johnson added 19 points and seven rebounds.
Trailing by 10 at halftime, the Bucks outscored the Nets 66-42 in the second half, using a 14-4 third-quarter run to pull even at 68. Bridges answered Milwaukee’s run with his own personal 10-0 spurt, but the Bucks outscored the Nets 39-23 in the third, including 18-7 over the final 5:04 after Antetokounmpo went to the bench after picking up his fourth foul.
Then the Bucks, who rank No. 1 in the NBA in defensive rating and fourth in the league in by allowing 111.2 points per game, turned up the defense in the fourth. Brooklyn was just 7 of 23 in the fourth, missing nine straight over a span of 4:23.
Brooklyn was aggressive against Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee offense early, forcing seven first-quarter turnovers and 12 in the first half. Antetokounmpo had the same number of field goals and turnovers in the first quarter (2), and the Nets turned that defense into offense, using a 17-2 run to build a 15-point advantage.
Bridges had 18 points, Johnson had 15 and six rebounds and Dinwiddie scored 13 and had six assists in the first half, helping Brooklyn take a 62-52 lead at halftime.
Up next, Milwaukee hosts Orlando on Wednesday.
Tyler Kolek had 21 points and 10 assists, and #6 Marquette clinched its first outright conference title in 20 years by beating Butler 72-56 on Tuesday night.
Heading into the game, Kolek, a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard from Cumberland, R.I., was second in the NCAA in assists (7.8 per game). Over the past nine games, he has averaged 18.2 points. He shot 9 of 13 from the field and 2 for 3 on 3-pointers against the Bulldogs.
The victory was the fifth in a row and 10th in 11 games for the surprising Golden Eagles (24-6, 16-3), picked ninth by the league’s coaches in the preseason poll.
This week, Marquette ascended to its highest ranking in the AP Top 25 since it was No. 1 in 1978.
Marquette, which had already earned at least a share of its first Big East title since 2013, had not won an outright regular-season crown since doing so in Conference USA in 2003.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 14 points and Oso Ighodaro had 12 for the Golden Eagles, who will be the top seed in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden — an event Marquette has never won.
The Golden Eagles will open in the quarterfinals March 9 against the winner of a first-round game between Butler and St. John’s.
45-year-old Shaka Smart, in his second season at Marquette after six each at VCU and Texas, won his first regular-season league championship in 14 years as a Division I head coach.
The Aaron Rodger wait continues. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst telling reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday that he has not had any conversations with Aaron Rodgers since their end of season discussions over a month ago, but they have exchanged some texts.
The 4-time MVP apparently is still mulling over his options, while the GM said all options are on the table. If Rodgers returns, the team will restructure his contract. But whether Rodgers returns, retires, or desires to be traded, it will have large cap ramifications for the team. Yet Gutekunst maintains it is still business as usual.
“We are going through our process as normal. Obviously free agency is coming up here, and that is an important part of what we’re doing so it would be nice to have some answers before then,” Gutekunst said Tuesday. “Until we have any conversations we are still in a good spot. Our feelings haven’t changed about Aaron, but we need to have some of those conversations about our team, where it’s going, where he’s at before we go forward.”
The GM once again expressed confidence that Jordan Love is ready to take over should that be necessary. “I think he is ready to play and I think he is ready to be an NFL starting quarterback,” Gutekunst said of his 2020 first round draft pick. “He’s worked really hard; he’s shown a lot of progression and I know he’s really eager to have that. And I think that is the next step in his progression is to play.”
So the next step in Rodgers watch is for a decision. Last year, Rodgers announced he was returning on March 8th, so a similar script could be in the offing. Whenever it is, Gutekunst claims the wait is not fatiguing.
Tuesday the Brewers beat the Cubs 6-4. The Brewers play the Angels today. Milwaukee is 3-2 in Cactus League play.
The Wisconsin Herd, NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks, beat the Salt Lake City Stars 120-106. The Herd came out hot, scoring 31 points in the first quarter while keeping the Stars to 19 points. Wisconsin continued to dominate on both ends of the court adding another 31 points in the second quarter and developing a 21-point advantage at the half. Lindell Wigginton became a driving force for the Herd in the third quarter posting 17 of the Herd’s 37 points while shooting 100% from the field goal and three-point range. The Stars attempted to come back in the fourth quarter outscoring the Herd 34-21, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.
Lindell Wigginton led all scorers with a career-high 41 points while Rob Edwards followed with 21 points. Paris Bass (17 points, 15 rebounds) and Jontay Porter (11 points, 13 rebounds) added a double-double each.
Christian Vital guided the Stars with 26 points while Jeenathan Williams added 15 points.
The Herd returns home on Saturday, March 4th against the Windy City Bulls with a tip-off set for 11:30 a.m. CST
Boys Regional
(Boys)
Berlin 84, Ripon 55-#6 Ripon plays at #3 Lake Mills Friday.
Wautoma 83, Stanley-Boyd 70-Joe Ascher led the Hornets with 34 points and Carson Armstrong scored 24 as Wautoma improved to 16-9 on the season. Henry Hoel led the Orioles with 30 points. #5 Wautoma plays at #4 Wisconsin Dells Friday night with the tipoff at 7:00.
Kettle Moraine Lutheran 77, Sheboygan Falls 54
Two Rivers 47, Kewaskum 34
Lomira 74, Waupun 68
Winneconne 77, Tomahawk 53
Campbellsport 76, Sturgeon Bay 48
Laconia 84, Winnebago Lutheran 56
Mayville 77, Jefferson 41
Watertown Luther Prep 76, North Fond du Lac 45
Clintonville 51, Omro 49
Newman Catholic 56, Tri-County 24
Assumption 60, Wild Rose 47
Oshkosh West 71, Wisconsin Rapids 42
Amherst 62, Freedom 55
Wausau East 68, Waupaca 53
Adams-Friendship 56, Black River Falls 49
Mauston 73, Arcadia 67
Edgar 59, Nekoosa 52
Westfield 60, Spencer 51
Wisconsin Dells 87, Viroqua 35
Williams Bay 55, Dodgeland 41
Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah 66, Hustisford 37
Hilbert 57, Lourdes Academy 48
Oakfield 74, Eastbrook Academy 47
Wayland Academy 86, Valley Christian 54
Cambria-Friesland 66, Monticello 62
Fall River 85, Juda 32
Markesan 78, Wisconsin Heights 49
Princeton/Green Lake 63, Montello 46
Pardeeville 72, Waterloo 42
Cambridge 52, Randolph 32
Abundant Life/St. Ambrose 82, Rio 26
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