SPORTS LINE
The Milwaukee Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has made it very clear he is loyal to Milwaukee and will be playing in his hometown for another season. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s latest EuroBasket performance is making Doc Rivers’ job easy, showing off his playmaking skills and that he should be the full-time point forward for the Milwaukee Bucks. Offensively, Giannis continued to show his dominance in the halfcourt, with four defenders surrounding him unable to prevent him from scoring. There is always room to try new things in basketball, and Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers says he is keeping an open mind with his play sheet.
Rivers, who has been spotted with other members of the coaching staff and front office, is watching Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece at EuroBasket, and he admitted he’s been keeping a close eye on their plays. Giannis has had the ball in his hands often throughout his time in Milwaukee, but with Greece, he’s not playing next to another star guard, like Damian Lillard or Jrue Holiday, or forward, like Khris Middleton, giving him the keys to the entire offense. It’s his show to run; everyone must follow his lead. With Middleton moving at the deadline and Lillard cut earlier this summer, the Bucks made it clear that they want Giannis to take full control of the offense. With his back against the wall after two early postseason exits, Rivers must switch up his formula, and his comments here make it sound like he’s ready.
The Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are fresh off a sweep of the Pirates in Pittsburgh, lowering their postseason magic number to three while moving their magic numbers for the NL Central and MLB’s No. 1 seed to 12 and 13, respectively. This marks the second series sweep the Pirates suffered to the Brewers this season, Aug. 11-13 at American Family Field. They also finish the season series against their divisional foe, 3-10, losing the final eight games against the Brewers, which includes the last two in Milwaukee, June 24-25. Andrew Vaughn had four hits and Jacob Misiorowski cruised through seven innings as the Milwaukee Brewers scored nine runs off top prospect Bubba Chandler to complete a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 10-2 win Sunday. Misiorowski (5-2) allowed one run and three hits, striking out eight while going more than six innings for the first time in the majors.
The first five Brewers batters reached in the first, including Jake Bauers on a two-run double just inside the right-field line ahead of an RBI single from Vaughn. Bauers scored when Caleb Durbin grounded into a double play. Danny Jansen started the second with a double and scored on a wild pitch. Blake Perkins hit an RBI double in a four-run third capped by a two-run single from Brice Turang. Liover Peguero produced the Pirates’ lone run off Misiorowski with a single in the second. Cam Devanney drove in another on a pinch-hit double in the eighth.
The Green Bay Packers.
Week 1 shaped up to be a party at Lambeau Field Sunday afternoon following the Green Bay Packers’ late offseason trade acquisition of All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys. Parsons, who had 52 1/2 sacks in his four seasons with the Cowboys, was traded following a contract stalemate with Dallas. The party started Sunday with the pregame introductions, where Parsons was announced last, running out the tunnel to a roaring ovation, to the halftime buzzer. Green Bay emerged victorious 27-13 over the Lions to snap Detroit’s three-game winning streak at Lambeau Field. The Packers have now won seven of their last eight Week 1 games at home dating to 2007, the final season of the Brett Favre era.
Quarterback Jordan Love surgically picked apart Detroit’s defense with 17 points on the Packers’ first three drives, including two touchdown tosses — one to tight end Tucker Kraft (15 yards) and another to wide receiver Jayden Reed (17 yards). On Green Bay’s third drive of the game, the second touchdown drive, the Packers found the end zone in just two plays, on two throws from Love. The party kept going until the very end. Parsons checked into the game on the third play of the Lions’ opening series to another raucous ovation with Detroit facing a third-and-7. He provided an immediate impact, beating Lions All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell to the inside to pressure Jared Goff into a short checkdown to Jahmyr Gibbs. The play went for a loss of two, and the Lions were forced to punt after a three-and-out. The Packers (1-0) will return to action at Lambeau Field on “Thursday Night Football” against the Washington Commanders (1-0) in Week 2.
