Defending champ Bucks advance
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and nine rebounds and the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks routed the Chicago Bulls 116-100 on Wednesday night to finish off the first-round series in five games.
The third-seeded Bucks advanced to face second-seeded Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 1 on Sunday in Boston.
WARRIORS 102, NUGGETS 98: Stephen Curry scored 30 points in his return to Golden State’s starting lineup and the Warriors beat Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets to end their first-round playoff series in five games.
Curry converted a three-point play with 1:33 left and scored again with 29 seconds remaining to help send the Warriors on to the second round in the Western Conference against either Minnesota or Memphis. Jokic scored 12 of his 30 points in the final 3:46 and finished with 19 rebounds and eight assists.
ETC. The NBA fined two Miami Heat players and the team itself a total of $55,000 on Thursday, over two incidents in the team’s series-clinching win earlier this week against the Atlanta Hawks. Markieff Morris was fined $25,000 for interfering with live game play while on the bench. Jimmy Butler was fined $15,000 for making what it described as an obscene gesture and the Heat were also fined $15,000 for turning a video of the gesture into a social media post. The social media post has since been deleted from the team account.
OU men’s golf to host regional
The top-ranked Oklahoma men’s golf team, fresh off of winning the Big 12 Tournament, will host an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2018 at Jimmie
Austin OU Golf Club.
The regional is scheduled for May 1618. Each regional will have 13 or 14 teams, with the top five squads advancing after 54 holes of stroke play. The NCAA Golf Selection show airs on the Golf Channel at 4 p.m. on May 4. The Sooners will learn who their competition will be at that time.
Spectators can attend the regional for free and tee times will be published the week of the competition.
Extra points
COLLEGE SOFTBALL: James Madison softball player Lauren Bernett died by suicide, the Western Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Virginia said Thursday. The 20-year-old was a sophomore catcher and a key contributor for the Dukes’ run in last spring’s Women’s College World Series. ...
Oklahoma pitcher Jordy Bahl is one of 25 finalists for the Schutt Sports/ NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Award. Bahl sports a 0.98 ERA with 181 strikeouts in 114 2/3 innings for the nation’s No. 1-ranked team.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Gonzaga guard Rasir Bolton has become the fifth starter to declare for the NBA draft. He announced his decision on social media. Bolton played one season at Penn State and two more at Iowa State before transferring to Gonzaga. He is eligible for a second season at Gonzaga due to a COVID-19 waiver granted to all players who competed in 2020-21.
Four other Gonzaga starters have submitted their names to the draft, including projected first-round pick Chet Holmgren, forward Drew Timme, wing Julian Strawther and point guard Andrew Nembhard.