12/18/24 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Wednesday
18 December 2024 Sports
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points to go along with 19 rebounds and 10 assists, Damian Lillard added 23 points and the Bucks connected on 17 3-pointers on the way to beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 in the NBA Cup title game Tuesday night.
Brook Lopez and Gary Trent Jr. each scored 13 for the Bucks, who joined the Los Angeles Lakers as the only champions of the 2-year-old event. A 19-5 Milwaukee run in the second half turned what was a five-point game into a 19-point game early in the fourth, and the Bucks kept control the rest of the way.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 and Jalen Williams added 18 for the Thunder, who had scored at least 99 points in every game this season. But they sputtered in plenty of ways Tuesday, getting outscored 51-15 from beyond the arc and shooting only 34%.
Isaiah Hartenstein had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City.
It’s a game that only counted for tournament purposes. There was about $300,000 in additional bonus money for Bucks players — they got $514,971 apiece, while the Thunder players got $205,988 each — but the win, the loss and the statistics from the game won’t count toward the regular season.
Mired toward the bottom of the NBA after a 2-8 start, the Bucks have been on a tear since. This was their 13th win in their last 16 games, even though it won’t be part of the official record.
Milwaukee played without guard Khris Middleton (non-COVID illness) and still improved to an NBA-best 12-1 all-time in NBA Cup games, including a perfect 7-0 this season. The Bucks’ only in-season tournament loss was to Indiana in last year’s semifinals.
When the Bucks emptied their bench with 1:37 left, Antetokounmpo pumped his fists like it was a true championship moment.
He’s won bigger games — he and the Bucks captured the 2021 NBA title, after all. But they said from the outset of this tournament that the NBA Cup was a priority.
The Packers are off today before they begin preparing for Monday night’s game at Lambeau Field against the New Orleans Saints. Green Bay is 10-4 and in third place in the NFC North while New Orleans comes in at 5-9 and out of the playoff picture.
The NBA is changing the how the midseason showcase works once again. The league has announced the finalized changes for the reimagined All-Star Game, turning it into a one-night tournament — the Sunday night of All-Star weekend — and following the format that the Rising Stars Challenge for rookies and second-year players has used in recent years.
The NBA’s hope is simply this: By getting players to compete even a little bit more, the product will be more compelling, and more people will watch. Ratings have plummeted in recent years, viewers evidently not loving the constant stream of lobs, 3-pointers, dunks and zero defense.
The new format largely mirrors the one used for the Rising Stars games since 2022. For Rising Stars, the NBA brings the best rookies and sophomores to All-Star weekend and splits them into four teams. There are two semifinal games — the first team to 50 points was the winner in Year 1, the first team to 40 points has been the winner of the semifinals in 2023 and 2024. And the semifinal winners meet in a championship game that same night, first to 25 points winning.
The All-Star format this year will see 24 players being selected — 10 will be designated as starters, 14 as reserves, even though that’s not how it will work on game night. The 24 players will be drafted into three teams of eight, and the Rising Stars winning team will remain to compete as the fourth team in the All-Star tournament. There will be two semifinal games to 40 points, and then a final to 40 points.
The Milwaukee Brewers have a new first base coach.
The team announced the hiring of Julio Borbón on Tuesday. Borbón replaces Quintin Berry, who was hired to be the Chicago Cubs third base coach.
Borbón, 38, has spent the past three seasons as the Minnesota Twins’ assistant coordinator of instruction. He previously coached in the New York Yankees organization.
Borbón played professionally from 2007-18. He appeared in 294 games with the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles between 2009 and 2016.
Boys Basketball (Wed.)
Berlin 85 North Fond du Lac 61
Kettle Moraine Lutheran 64 Beaver Dam 61
Sheboygan Lutheran 71 Kewaskum 58
Plymouth 81 Xavier 78
Mayville 76 Winneconne 70
Merrill 54 Shawano 53
Oshkosh North 67 Appleton East 61
Fond du Lac 76 Hortonville 46
Neenah 66 Kaukauna 56
Appleton North 55 Oshkosh West 48
Kimberly 86 Appleton West 61
Wrightstown 80 Clintonville 62
Freedom 76 Oconto Falls 26
Little Chute 75 Luxemburg-Casco 34
Fox Valley Lutheran 72 Denmark 63
Waupaca 64 Marinette 58
Richland Center 50 Mauston 34
Spencer 57 Nekoosa 54
Wisconsin Dells 67 Baraboo 63
Markesan 60 Lourdes Academy 55
Girls: (Wed.)
Beaver Dam 69 Fort Atkinson 26
Xavier 72 West De Pere 71
Shawano 53 Seymour 38
Menasha 45 New London 41
North Fond du Lac 55 Campbellsport 24
Laconia 100 Lomira 29
Omro 72 Mayville 37
St. Mary’s Springs 62 Winnebago Lutheran 43
Appleton East 78 Oshkosh North 40
Kimberly 65 Appleton West 17
Hortonville 90 Fond du Lac 37
Oshkosh West 55 Appleton North 44
Wrightstown 59 Clintonville 23
Freedom 59 Oconto Falls 43
Denmark56 Fox Valley Lutheran 48
Luxemburg-Casco 67 Little Chute 24
Marinette 55 Waupaca 44
Pittsville 56 Adams-Friendship 41
Mauston 43 Viroqua 35
Northland Lutheran 42 Nekoosa 31
Tri-County 35 Wautoma 24
Wayland Academy 64 Washington County Home School 40
Pardeeville 45 Poynette 42
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