Nikola Vucevic tallied 35 points on Tuesday as the Orlando Magic upset the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks 122-110 in the opening game of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series.
The Magic got off to a quick start to seize a double digit lead and then blunted a second-half rally by the Bucks, who boast the league’s top player, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Orlando came into the series as big underdogs against the NBA’s best all-around team.
Photo: AP
Vucevic had 14 rebounds and four assists. Terrence Ross finished with 18 points and six rebounds, while D.J. Augustin added 11 points and 11 assists for Orlando, who shot 49 percent from the field and made 16 baskets from beyond the arc.
Reigning league MVP Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.
Milwaukee closed the gap to 62-52 at halftime, then began the third quarter on a 16-7 run to cut Orlando’s advantage to one.
Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY
The Bucks got within six points, 99-93, on a Brook Lopez basket with 8 minutes, 13 seconds to play, but Orlando answered with Ross’ driving dunk and Augustin’ three-pointer to push their advantage back to double digits.
Orlando’s Evan Fournier was held scoreless until hitting three clutch three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to help clinch the victory.
Another eighth-seeded team, the Portland Trail Blazers, delivered a stunning upset in their playoff opener, surprising the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
Photo: AP
Damian Lillard scored 34 points as the Trail Blazers toppled the West’s No. 1-seeded Lakers 100-93 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
“Every time we have played since we have been here, it is like a playoff game,” Lillard said. “So that prepared us for a game like this.”
The last time both NBA top seeds lost their playoff openers was in 2003, when the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons stumbled out of the gate.
Lillard drained several long three-pointers with just over three minutes left to break a 89-89 tie. Three-pointers are something he has been working on in practice.
“In the summer when I step away, I try to find ways I can improve my game,” Lillard said. “Playing further out was major part what I wanted to add to my game. It is starting to show. I am just reaping the benefits of the work I put in.”
C.J. McCollum had 21 points and Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic scored 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers, who made 13 of 34 three-pointers. Carmelo Anthony added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Anthony Davis finished with 28 points and 11 boards, while LeBron James had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 16 assists for the Lakers, who struggled from beyond the arc making just five of 32 attempts.
Kyle Kuzma chipped in 14 points.
James is the first player in history to record a 20 point, 15 rebound and 15 assist triple-double in the post-season.
“We had a lot of wide-open looks. The first playoff game so there were a lot of jitters. We have to calm down, take our time. The shots will be there all series,” Kuzma said.
In another playoff encounter, James Harden scored 37 points to lift the Houston Rockets to a 123-108 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Despite not having Russell Westbrook for the fifth time in six games, the Rockets’ offense were sizzling, combining for 76 points in the second and third quarters.
The Miami Heat ran away for a 113-101 win over the Indiana Pacers after Tyler Herro’s jump shot with 8:52 remaining broke a tie.
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
EL CLASSICO: La Liga champions Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the Super Cup final tomorrow. Barça secured their final spot after a 2-0 win over Bilbao on Wednesday Real Madrid would chase a record-equaling 14th Spanish Super Cup title in the final against Barcelona after second-half goals by Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo helped them to a 3-0 win over Mallorca in the semi-finals on Thursday. England midfielder Bellingham broke the deadlock after the hour mark with a low shot into the middle of the goal before Mallorca defender Martin Valjent’s own goal doubled the lead in stoppage time followed by a Rodrygo strike from close range. Spanish champions Real are to play Barcelona for the trophy tomorrow after goals by Gavi and Lamine Yamal earned Barça a 2-0 win over
RSS