(Milwaukee, WI) — Playing without forward Giannis Antetokounmpo once again, the Bucks dropped a 123-116 game to Cleveland Tuesday night. Antetokounmpo has missed 32 games this season – almost half of his team’s games Milwaukee has played while compiling a 28-and-36 record. The Bucks kept the Cavaliers close and even led entering the fourth period. Kevin Porter’s 25 points led the scoring. Milwaukee plays at Utah Thursday night.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Julius Randle scored 32 points and Bones Hyland had 22 points off the bench to help the Minnesota Timberwolves offset the absence of All-Star Anthony Edwards and beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104. Ayo Dosunmu added 19 points and Rudy Gobert had 19 rebounds for Minnesota. The Timberwolves improved to 7-4 without Edwards this season. The NBA’s third-leading scorer will miss the next week or two with knee inflammation. Devin Booker scored 34 points despite shooting 1 for 7 from 3-point range for the Suns. Phoenix finished a five-game road trip with a third straight loss.
(Madison, WI) — The Wisconsin Senate has given its approval to legislation sending 14-point-6 million dollars for debt services at the university. The annual expenditure was passed on a 17-to-16 vote Tuesday. UW Athletic Director Chris McIntosh says the money for the Name, Image, Likeness program was needed to stay competitive. Milwaukee television station WISN quotes a spokesperson for Governor Tony Evers as saying he supports “the goals of the bill.”
(Madison, WI) — The Badgers men’s basketball team is hoping to have junior forward Nolan Winter back in the lineup for the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin plays High Point Thursday afternoon. Winter has missed four games with a sprained ankle. Badgers Wire-dot-com reports that he averaged more than 13 points and eight-and-a-half rebounds per game. The seven-footer is also a strong inside defensive presence for coach Greg Gard.
CHICAGO (AP) — Mats Zuccarello scored 3:09 into overtime, and the Minnesota Wild stopped a three-game slide by topping the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3. Marcus Johansson had a goal and two assists as Minnesota improved to 3-0 against Chicago this season. Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan Hartman also scored, and Brock Faber had three assists. Filip Gustavsson made 21 saves for the Wild, and Jesper Wallstedt stopped two shots. Gustavsson departed for 3:27 in the third period because of an equipment issue. The Wild had a long stint in their offensive zone before Johansson found Zuccarello for his 13th goal.
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms on a contract with four-time All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker. He will begin his 15th NFL season. The 36-year-old Hekker spent last season with the Tennessee Titans. Hekker played three years with the Carolina Panthers after spending his first 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He started with the Rams franchise in St. Louis in 2012 as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon State. Hekker is in line to replace Ryan Wright, who joined the New Orleans Saints.
(Green Bay, WI) — The Packers will honor former CEO Bob Harlan by installing his name on the northeast façade at Lambeau Field. A date for the ceremony during a 2026 NFL season game will be announced. Harlan’s name will go up near former Packers general manager Ted Thompson, who was given similar honors five years ago. Harland died two weeks ago at the age of 89.
MIAMI (AP) — Venezuela has won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, rebounding from a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the United States 3-2 on Eugenio Suárez’s tiebreaking double in the ninth. Maikel Garcia’s third-inning sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu’s fifth-inning homer off rookie Nolan McLean built a 2-0 lead before a roaring pro-Latin America crowd in Miami. Eduardo Rodríguez and lights-out relievers limited the Americans to two hits before Bryce Harper’s two-out, two-run homer in the eighth tied it. Daniel Palencia retired the side in order in the ninth, finishing a three-hitter.
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