NBA: Lopez, Bucks overtake Raptors in opener

Brook Lopez scored a playoff-career-best 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks used a fourth-quarter surge to defeat the visiting Toronto Raptors 108-100 Wednesday night in the opening game of the Eastern Conference finals.

Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks, who host Game 2 on Friday.

Malcolm Brogdon added 15 points off the bench for the Bucks, Nikola Mirotic scored 13 points, and Khris Middleton had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 31 points and nine rebounds, Kyle Lowry had 30 points, Pascal Siakam scored 15 points, and Marc Gasol had six points and 12 rebounds.

The Bucks, who trailed by as many as 13 points in the first quarter, scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to lead by one.

They took a three-point lead on Middleton's 3-pointer with 7:50 remaining and were up by five on Brogdon's running dunk with 6:33 to go.

The Raptors tied the game at 98 on Lowry's 3-pointer with 4:02 to play. Leonard's two free throws put Toronto ahead by two with 3:31 left.

The Bucks took a one-point lead on Middleton's steal and Lopez's dunk, and they led by four after a 3-pointer by Lopez with 1:55 left.

Eric Bledsoe made two free throws to bump the lead to six with 42 seconds to play, and Middleton's two free throws made the advantage eight points.

The Raptors used a 16-0 run to take a 34-23 lead after one quarter.

Toronto had a 12-point lead during the second quarter before the Bucks battled back and pulled to within three on a Middleton step-back 17-footer that completed an 11-2 run.

Leonard capped the first-half scoring with a dunk, and Toronto led 59-51.

The Bucks opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run, drawing within two.

After the Bucks cut the margin to one, the Raptors went on a 9-0 surge capped by two free throws from Leonard with 6:33 left in the third.

The Bucks cut the deficit to four on a Lopez layup with 2:07 left in the quarter.

Siakam ended the third period with a 3-pointer, giving Toronto an 83-76 lead. The Bucks were 0-for-11 on 3-point attempts in the quarter, and they wound up 11 of 44 from long range. The Raptors sank 15 of their 42 3-point tries.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Antetokounmpo drops career-high 44 in Bucks' rout

Giannis Antetokounmpo matched a career-high 44 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and had eight assists on Friday as the visiting Milwaukee Bucks led wire-to-wire and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-102.

Antetokounmpo was coming off his lowest scoring game of the season -- 12 in a loss Wednesday to Indiana. On Friday, he went 14-for-19 from the field and made 16 of 21 free-throw attempts.

Cleveland, which had trailed 94-80 early in the fourth, cut the deficit to 102-97 with 4:20 to go. But the Bucks went on a 9-2 run to put the game out of reach.

Brook Lopez scored 19 on 7-for-15 from the field and Eric Bledsoe added 16 points for the Bucks.

For the second time in a week Milwaukee and Cleveland played, and the Bucks had to again jump out to a big lead and hold on for the win.

On Monday, the Bucks led by 18 at halftime and by as many as 26 in the second. Cleveland cut the deficit to 13 before faltering in a 108-92 loss.

Antetokounmpo did not play in Monday's game because of a sore neck. Milwaukee starters Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon sat out Friday's game.

Tony Snell, getting the start for Brogdon, connected early on two 3-pointers -- his only points of the game -- as Milwaukee scored the game's first nine points.

Rodney Hood finally got the Cavs on the board with a pair of free throws with just under nine minutes to go in the quarter. Cleveland did not score its first field goal until a Hood tip-in at the 7:01 mark -- but by then, Milwaukee already had built a double-digit lead.

The Bucks, who came into the game averaging 40 3-point shots per game, made 5 of 11 in the first quarter. Milwaukee's defense held Cleveland to just 27.7 percent from the field as the Bucks took a 27-16 lead after one.

The Bucks extended the lead to 15 on a Lopez 3-point jumper in the second period. Cleveland would slice the lead to seven at 44-37 on a Jordan Clarkson 3, but that's the closest the Cavaliers would get late in the fourth.

Clarkson led the Cavaliers with 23 points off the bench. Hood added 19 for Cleveland.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Report: Lopez agrees to 1-year deal with Bucks

Veteran center Brook Lopez has agreed to a one-year, $3.4 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to multiple reports Sunday afternoon.

Lopez's deal is for the biannual exception.

The 30-year-old Lopez averaged 13.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 74 contests with the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

He is expected to step in as the starting center for the Bucks, who won 44 games a season ago before losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

In 10 career seasons with the New Jersey-Brooklyn Nets and the Lakers, Lopez has averaged 17.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The 7-footer matched a career low in scoring and set a career low in minutes per game (23.4) last season, which marked his first in the Western Conference.

Milwaukee likely is not finished shaping its roster this summer.

Forward Jabari Parker is a restricted free agent and has drawn interest from teams such as the Nets and the Sacramento Kings, but the Bucks have the right to match any offer he signs with another club.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Lopez carries Nets over Wizards

Nets 102, Wizards 80

Center Brook Lopez overcame a day of trade rumors by scoring 25 of his 26 points in the second half as the Brooklyn Nets snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 102-80 road victory over the Washington Wizards.

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Grizzlies 106, Magic 96

Reserve forward Jeff Green, in his second game for Memphis since being traded from Boston, scored 21 points, including 12 in the decisive fourth quarter, to lead the Grizzlies to a 106-96 road victory over the Orlando Magic.

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76ers 96, Pelicans 81

Guard Michael Carter-Williams scored 22 points and center Nerlens Noel had 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 96-81 victory over the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans, who played without star forward Anthony Davis (sprained toe).

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Bulls 119, Celtics 103

Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol led the Bulls to a 119-103 victory over Boston. The Celtics trailed by only two points entering the final quarter but faded for their 11th loss in 14 games.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com