Hometown Broadcasting Sports Wednesday 8/19/20
19 August 2020 Sports
Nikola Vucevic scored a playoff career-high 35 points and had 14 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic stunned the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 122-110 on Tuesday in the playoff opener of the NBA’s pandemic-altered season. Terrence Ross scored 18 points, Gary Clark added 15 and D.J. Augustin had 11 points and 11 assists for the eighth-seeded Magic, who took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists for Milwaukee, but was held without a field goal over the final 11 minutes. The Bucks came into the postseason as the favorites to win their first NBA title since 1971 despite finishing 3-5 in seeding games. But their sluggish play in the bubble at Disney World carried over into the postseason.
Milwaukee swept the season series against Orlando, winning four games by an average of 17 points, but struggled with the Magic’s stingy defense, which repeatedly clogged the lane and forced Antetokounmpo to settle for jump shots.
The Bucks’ frustration was evident when center Brook Lopez stomped on a chair — and then kicked it — in the bench area during a timeout. The Magic led most of the game.
Orlando used an early 15-2 run to build a 51-33 lead midway through the second quarter behind 16 points from Vucevic.
Game two is Thursday.
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For eight innings, the Brewers had no runs, no hits and no signs of the momentum they hoped to bring north after an uplifting weekend at Wrigley Field. Then Eric Sogard floated a single to center field leading off the ninth, and it was about to be a whole new ballgame.
Kenta Maeda’s no-hit bid turned into a no-decision and an extra-inning game after the Brewers’ rallied for three runs with help from a crucial error, but the Twins triumphed in the 12th, 4-3, at Target Field on Tuesday night. Milwaukee fell to 10-11.
In a duel with Corbin Burnes, Maeda met a Brewers offense that appeared on the rise, coming off three straight victories in a charged, four-game series against the Cubs that was capped by back-to-back weekend wins in which Milwaukee tallied double-digit hits. But the 32-year-old right-hander shut that unit down until the ninth with a flurry of changeups. He set a Twins record with eight straight strikeouts during one stretch from the third inning through the end of the fifth, one shy of the American League record for consecutive strikeouts and two shy of the Major League mark.
Sogard, led off the ninth by reaching for Maeda’s 115th pitch — a changeup at the bottom of the zone — and knuckling it over a leaping Polanco to the outfield grass. With Twins closer Taylor Rogers on for Maeda, Avisaíl García followed with a double, Yelich walked, Keston Hiura dumped an RBI single into center field, and all of a sudden the Brewers had the tying run in scoring position with nobody out.
They had the tying run on the scoreboard moments later, after pinch-hitter Jedd Gyorko bounced a double-play ball to shortstop and second baseman Ildemaro Vargas misfired the relay. Yelich scored on the error for a 3-3 tie. Milwaukee managed just four hits.
Burnes went five innings giving up one run on two hits while striking out five and walking three. David Phelps took the loss and falls to 2-2. Jorge Alcala (1-0) picked up the win.
The two teams meet again tonight. A pair of left-handers square off. Brett Anderson (0-2) goes for Milwaukee against Rich Hill (1-0). First pitch is at 7:10 and the game can be heard on AM1100/98.3FM, WISS.
Elsewhere in the NL Central on Tuesday the Cubs beat the Cardinals 6-3, the Indians downed the Pirates 6-3 and Cincinnati at Kansas City was postponed.
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The Packers took to Ray Nitschke Field in pads for the first time this training camp. The practice was short ending after an hour and nine minutes. The new CBA allows for up to an hour and 30 minutes. With the first practice in pads under head coach Matt LaFleur’s belt, he’s pleasantly surprised with the energy from players so far.
“Guys are into it, and it’s been great to have them back in the building,” LaFleur said. “I think they are competing at a high level.”
Center Corey Linsley was held out of Tuesday’s practice for precautionary reasons. Meanwhile, outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith went inside early for the same reason. However, defensive lineman Montravious Adams went down and was carted off of practice. NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport reported it was a sprained toe and nothing to worry about. Left tackle David Bakhtiari seemed to have a bother with his left ankle at the end of practice but walked off the field under his own power.
With Linsley out, Lucas Patrick and Elgton Jenkins both took turns at center. Meanwhile, the battle on the right side of the line continued. Billy Turner has seen time at both right guard and right tackle. When he signed with Green Bay, Turner said he would be expected to play both positions.
Running back Aaron Jones is a key weapon for the Packers offense. According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, now that nose tackle Kenny Clark’s $70 million dollar deal is done, the Packers want to make Jones a top priority. The Packers next practice is this morning at 10:30 at Ray Nitschke Field.
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Last Friday, the Green Bay and Appleton school districts announced they were moving fall sports to the spring due to concerns with COVID-19, and Tuesday, the Fox River Classic Conference and Oshkosh School District followed. In addition to Green Bay Preble, Southwest, West and East, the FRCC consists of Bay Port, Ashwaubenon, Notre Dame, De Pere, Pulaski, West De Pere, Menasha, Manitowoc and Sheboygan North and South. Oshkosh schools moving to the spring include West and North. Furthermore, the Kimberly School District announced Tuesday it was moving “high-risk” sports from fall to spring. That would be football, volleyball and boys soccer. Girls golf, cross country, girls tennis and girls swimming will compete in the fall. While the FRCC has opted out, some schools may still try to play in the fall. Meanwhile, the North Eastern, Bay, Big East, Flway, Eastern Wisconsin, Central Wisconsin and Packerland conferences have yet to opt out, while the East Central and Trailways have announced they intend to play this fall. The deadline to opt out to spring is September 1st.
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