Hometown Broadcasting Sports Friday 7/9/21
9 July 2021 Sports
Sports for July 9th
Devin Booker scored 31 points, Chris Paul had 23 and the Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks 118-108 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 series lead.The Suns surged ahead late in the first half, withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo’s all-around effort to bring the Bucks back, and walked off winners again as fans swung orange rally towels all around them. Antetokounmpo had 42 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back after missing two games because of a hyperextended left knee
The Suns never even had a lead in the NBA Finals until their 118-105 victory in Game 1. They dropped the first two games in both 1976 and 1993, their only other appearances, and didn’t win more than two games in either series. They’ve already got two this time and will go after a third Sunday in Milwaukee, which will host the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974.
Booker made seven 3-pointers and the Suns went 20 for 40 behind the arc. Mikal Bridges scored 27 points, and Paul finished with eight assists. Jrue Holiday played more aggressively but didn’t shoot a whole lot better than in Game 1, scoring 17 points but hitting only 7 for 21. Khris Middleton was 5 for 16, forcing Antetokounmpo to carry an even heavier load on his sore left leg. Middleton finished with 11 points and made just 1 of 6 from 3-point range. Antetokounmpo was 11 of 18 from the free throw line.
Phoenix opened a 65-50 lead with a good start to the third, but Antetokounmpo — and pretty much only Antetokounmpo — kept the game from getting away from the Bucks. He scored 20 of the Bucks’ 33 points in the third, the first 20-point period in the finals since Michael Jordan against the Suns in 1993. Milwaukee got it all the way down to six in the fourth, but Paul nailed a 3-pointer and Bridges had a basket to quickly push the lead back to double digits. Milwaukee outscored Phoenix 20-0 in the paint in the first quarter, but eight of the Suns’ nine baskets were 3-pointers and they were behind just 29-26.
Avisaíl García hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers beat Cincinnati 5-3 Thursday night, boosting their NL Central lead to seven games over the Reds. The matchup marked the first of seven straight games between the top two teams in the division — four in Milwaukee and, after the All-Star break, three in Cincinnati. The Reds had won six of their previous seven overall. Garcia’s 16th homer of the season came off reliever Brad Brach (0-1).
Reliever Devin Williams (6-1) earned the win and Josh Hader pitched a scoreless ninth for his 21st save. Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead in the first after Reds pitcher Tyler Mahle slipped trying to field an infield hit by García with the bases loaded, then walked home another run. The Reds went ahead 3-2 in the fifth. After two walks by Brewers starter Adrian Houser, the Reds loaded the bases for the third time and Jake Cousins relieved for his eighth career appearance. Cousins’ first two offerings to Tucker Barnhart were wild pitches, each scoring a run. Barnhart hit an RBI single for the lead.
The first of two doubles by Keston Hiura tied the game at 3 in the sixth. The Brewers have remained in first place despite their batters posting the NL’s lowest batting average, which was .220 entering Thursday, and the most strikeouts.
Reds LHP Wade Miley (6-4, 3.06 ERA) faces Brewers LHP Eric Lauer (3-3, 4.11 ERA) tonight. First pitch is at 7:10 and the game can be heard on AM 1100/98.3 FM, WISS.
Elsewhere in the NL Central on Thursday, the Phillies shutout the Cubs 8-0. The Pirates-Mets game was postponed. The Brewers are in first place in the division, 7 games ahead of the Reds, 9 ½ over the Cubs and Cardinals and 19 ½ games over Pittsburgh.
Midwest League (Thurs.)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4, Quad Cities 1-The teams meet again tonight with the first pitch at 7:05 at Fox Cities Stadium.
North Woods League (Thurs.)
Fond du Lac Dock Spiders 5, Traverse City 4-The Dock Spiders host Traverse City again tonight with the first pitch at 6:35.
The Orlando Magic are closing in on Dallas Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, who has emerged as the strong front-runner to become the franchise’s next head coach, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Reportedly, conversations are ongoing, but Mosley, 42, has separated himself in the organization’s search process.
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