4/17/23 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Monday
17 April 2023 Sports
Monday Sports
From Wayne Mausser
Jimmy Butler scored 35 points and the Miami Heat capitalized on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s early exit to beat the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 130-117 on Sunday in an Eastern Conference playoff opener featuring two notable injuries.
The top-seeded Bucks lost Antetokounmpo to a lower back bruise early in the second quarter. Miami’s Tyler Herro broke his right hand later in the period.
No. 8 seed Miami had built a 68-55 halftime advantage before Herro’s departure and stayed ahead by shooting 59.5% (50 of 84) from the floor. The Heat were 15 of 25 and the Bucks 11 of 45 from 3-point range.
Antetokounmpo got fouled by Kevin Love and landed hard on his backside in the first quarter. He went to the locker room, returned briefly and left the court again, this time for good. He had six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.
Herro appeared to hurt his hand while diving for a loose ball late in the first half.
Bam Adebayo had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Heat. Butler had 11 assists. Love had 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 33 points and nine rebounds. Bobby Portis had 21 points. Jrue Holiday added 16 points and 16 assists for Milwaukee, which appeared disjointed after a long layoff.
Game two is Wednesday night in Milwaukee.
In the other NBA playoff games Sunday the Lakers beat the Grizzlies 128-112, the Clippers downed the Suns 115-110 and the Nuggets pounded the Timberwolves 109-80.
Wade Miley pitched seven sharp innings and Devin Williams escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth, helping the Milwaukee Brewers beat Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres 1-0 on Sunday.
Brian Anderson hit a sacrifice fly in the second as Milwaukee took three of four in the series. The game’s only run was set up by a disengagement violation on Darvish.
The Brewers also improved to 4-3 on a 10-game trip.
Miley (2-1) allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked none. San Diego threatened in the second, putting a runner on third with one out, but Miley struck out Trent Grisham and Jose Azocar.
San Diego wasted a dominant performance by Darvish (0-2), who struck out 12 in seven innings. He allowed four hits and walked two in his 50th career start with double-digit strikeouts.
Milwaukee jumped in front in the second. Garrett Mitchell reached on a one-out single and advanced on a disengagement violation on Darvish. The rookie then swiped third and scored on Anderson’s fly ball to left. Mitchell had two of the Brewers’ four hits.
Peter Strzelecki got three outs before Williams worked a shaky ninth for his third save. Walks to Juan Soto and Austin Nola helped load the bases for Grisham, who looked at a called third strike for the final out.
The Brewers are in Seattle tonight to play the Mariners. Right-hander Corbin Burnes (1-1) pitches for Milwaukee against fellow righty Chris Flexen (0-2). First pitch is at 8:40 CDT.
Brewers right-handed pitcher Brandon Woodruff has a strain in his right shoulder and will be sidelined longer than originally thought, manager Craig Counsell said Saturday.
Woodruff was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with what the team said was inflammation. He had an MRI that revealed a strain under his scapula.
Counsell said Woodruff won’t do any throwing until the Brewers return from a road trip that concludes Wednesday at Seattle. Woodruff, an All-Star in 2019 and 2021, is 0-1 with a 0.79 ERA in two starts.
Elsewhere in the NL Central Sunday the Phillies pounded the Reds 14-3, the Cardinals edged the Pirates 5-4 and the Cubs slipped past the Dodgers 3-2.
In the Midwest League Sunday the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers won over the Chiefs in Peoria, 5-1. The T-Rats are off today before opening a home series with Beloit Tuesday night.
On the Men’s PGA Tour Sunday Matt Fitzpatrcik beat defending champ Jordan Spieth in a three-hole playoff to win the RBC Heritage golf tournament. Both golfers were 17 under in regulation.
With his parents in his gallery, Fitzpatrick joined the list of winners to wear the champion’s tartan jacket by sticking a 9-iron from 186 yard to inches on the famed 18th hole, the third playoff hole, to beat Spieth and pick up his second win on the PGA Tour.
England’s Fitzpatrick, the reigning U.S. Open champion, shot a final-round 3-under 68 for a 72-hole total of 17-under 267. He also climbed to a career-best of eighth in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Patrick Cantlay finished 16 under and Xavier Schauffele came in at 15 under.
Kyle Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports team gambled on a late-race, two-tire pit stop to give him a fighting chance for the victory, and he took the opportunity and drove away to a commanding 4.142-second win in Sunday’s NOCO 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
It was the 2021 champion’s first victory at the famed half-mile track; making the pass for the win in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy with 30 laps remaining, but then having to hold off another past champion in Joey Logano, whose runner-up finish Sunday was also impressive considering he started at the rear of the field after a post-qualifying adjustment to his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.
It marks the second win of the season for the 30-year-old Californian who joins his teammate William Byron as the only multiple race winners on the year. Larson was recently named on of NASCAR’S 75 greatest drivers, as well.
With the win, Larson moves to fourth in the championship standings – only 17 points behind leader Christopher Bell, who finished 16th on Sunday. Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain is second, five points behind Bell. He finished 13th at Martinsville.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next Sunday in the GEICO 500 at the renowned Talladega Superspeedway (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Ross Chastain in the defending race winner.
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