D2 eZ M2 the washington post.friday, february 21 , 2020
auto racing
2:30 p.m. nascar xfinity series: boyd gaming 300, final practice » Fox sports 2
4 p.m. nascar cup series: pennzoil 40 0, practice » Fox sports 1
5 p.m. nascar truck series: strat 200, qualifying » Fox sports 1
7:30 p.m. nascar cup series: pennzoil 40 0, final practice » Fox sports 1
9 p.m. nascar truck series: strat 200 » Fox sports 1
11 p.m. nHra: arizona nationals, friday nitro live » Fox sports 1
soccer
3 p.m. spain la liga: mallorca at real betis » bein sports
10 p.m. liga mx: guadalajara at tijuana » Fox sports 2
Women’s college gymnastics
6 p.m. alabama at florida » seC network
7:30 p.m. auburn at arkansas » seC network
9 p.m. lsu at missouri » seC network
men’s college Hockey
6 p.m. notre Dame at michigan » Big te n network
7 p.m. minnesota Duluth at Western michigan » CBs sports network
8:30 p.m. minnesota at penn state » Big te n network
college Wrestling
7 p.m. north carolina state at Duke » aCC network
9 p.m. nebraska at minnesota » esPnUteleVision anD raDio
nba
7 p.m. cleveland at Washington » nBC sports washington, wFeD (1500 aM)
8 p.m. Denver at oklahoma city » esPn
10:30 p.m. new orleans at portland » esPn
men’s college basketball
5 p.m. sacred Heart at merrimack » CBs sports network
7 p.m. canisius at quinnipiac » esPnU
7 p.m. buffalo at kent state » esPn2
9 p.m. Virginia commonwealth at saint louis » esPn2
Women’s college basketball
9 p.m. oregon at california » Pac-12 network
11 p.m. oregon state at stanford » Pac-12 network
golf
10:30 a.m. pga tour: puerto rico open, second round » golf Channel
2 p.m. pga tour: Wgc-mexico championship, second round » golf Channel
tennis
8 a.m. Wta: Dubai championships, semifinals; atp: rio open, open 13 and
Delray beach open, quarterfinals » tennis Channel
8 p.m. Wta: Dubai championships, semifinals; atp: rio open, open 13 and
Delray beach open, quarterfinals » tennis Channelquotable“There was civic pride
about something that
belonged to Las Vegas.
It wasn’t a team moving
here. It was born here.”
aDam Hill,
a lifelong Las Vegas resident and
a n esPn radio host, on how the city
has embraced the nhL’s golden
Knights since their debut in 2017.boxingBY GENE WANGThe verbal sparring between
Deontay Wilder and Ty son Fury
continued to escalate in advance
of their rematch Saturday night
in Las Vegas, with Wilder vowing
to break the record for consecu-
tive successful title defenses he
shares with Muhammad Ali and
Fury reiterating his guarantee of
a second-round knockout.
Wilder (42-0-1, 41 knockouts)
is seeking an 11th straight victory
since he secured the World Box-
ing Council belt Jan. 17, 2015, with
a win over Bermane Stiverne via
unanimous decision.
“I’m going to knock out Ty son
Fury in devastating fashion on
Saturday night,” Wilder, calling
Ali an idol, said Tuesday at MGM
Grand Garden Arena to begin
fight week. “A fter I show the
world what greatness lies inside
of me, I will continue to go even
further and do more amazing
things in this sport.”
Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs), mean-
while, arrived wearing a black
suit patterned with images of his
face, along with a message about
mental health awareness, an is-
sue he has dealt with personally,
leading up to what he called the
biggest fight in 50 years in the
heavyweight division.
“Las Vegas is the home of
champions, and ‘The Gypsy King’
is here to put on a show,” said
Fury, the former lineal champion
who has owned every major title
except the WBC belt. “I am knock-
ing that bum out in two rounds.
It’s going to be an early night.”
Fury, who also said he would
“rip [Wilder’s] heart out and feed
it to him,” became the most recent
lineal heavyweight champion
when he beat Wladimir Klitschko
by 12-round unanimous decision
Nov. 28, 2015, to claim the World
Boxing Association, Internation-
al Boxing Federation and World
Boxing Organization titles.
But the Englishman wound up
relinquishing those belts while
battling depression, taking three
years off from the sport during
which time he revealed he con-
sidered suicide while driving at
nearly 200 mph before pulling
over in his Ferrari. After seeking
treatment, Fury then fought
twice before his first bout against
Wilder on Dec. 1, 2018, which
resulted in a split draw.
“His power is not going to hurt
me,” said Fury, 31. “I want a
knockout this time.”
In t he first meeting, it was Fury
who hit the canvas twice, includ-
ing a vicious knockdown in the
12th round. After lying motion-
less with his back on the mat,
Fury, to the shock and delight of
many in the crowd, sat up, got to
his feet and continued the fight.
“This is unfinished business,”
said Wilder, 34. “I’m picking up
where I left off at. I knocked him
out the first time. I didn’t get it,
but I’m going to knock him out
this time again, and this time he’s
not getting up, that’s for sure.”
[email protected]For Wilder
and Fury,
a rematch
with heart
BY JAKE RUSSELLMore than two years after
blocking the Washington Nation-
als from playing exhibition games
in Annapolis, the Baltimore Ori-
oles will take the field at the U.S.
Naval Academy next month for
the first time in 35 years.
The Orioles will face the New
York Mets at 2 p.m. on Tuesday,
March 24, at Max Bishop Stadi-
um. The game will be broadcast
on flagship radio station WJZ-FM
(105.7) a nd the Orioles Radio Net-
work. The Orioles begin regular
season play two days later at
Camden Yards against the New
York Yankees.
The Nationals took on the Bos-
ton Red Sox in Annapolis on
April 1, 2017, in the first of what
was supposed to be three annual
installments of the Naval Acade-
my Baseball Classic. The teams
toured the academy grounds and
ate breakfast with midshipmen.
Future games, however, were
shut down because of a territorial
dispute between the Orioles and
Nationals. Anne Arundel County,
where Annapolis is located, falls
under Orioles territory, a ccording
to the Major League Baseball
Constitution.
The Orioles allowed that con-
test with the Red Sox to take
place, but no more Nationals ex-
hibitions in Annapolis were per-
mitted. Baltimore announced a
partnership with the Naval Acad-
emy in February 2018 that includ-
ed a 2019 exhibition game in
Annapolis, which ultimately did
not happen. Before Opening Day
last season, the Orioles toured the
Naval Academy and spent time
with the midshipmen. Both the
Orioles and the Mets plan to do
the same thing before this year’s
game.
Tickets for the exhibition game
will not be available to the public,
but select Orioles season ticket
holders will have an opportunity
to purchase tickets.
The contest between the Ori-
oles and Mets will mark the
13th exhibition game played by
major league teams in Annapolis
and the seventh time the Orioles
have played in Maryland’s state
capital, according to the Naval
Academy.
[email protected]
baseball
Orioles set
to face Mets
at Naval
Academy
pro basketball: analysisJonathan newton/the washington Post
Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, and the Bucks have the NBA’s best net rating at home (plus-12.7) and away (plus-10.3).BY NEIL GREENBERGThe Milwaukee Bucks exit the NBA’s
all-star break with a league-best record
of 46-8. They are on pace to become the
third team i n NBA history to win at l east
70 games. Ye t as of Feb. 19, William Hill
Sportsbook processed more than double
the amount of tickets on the Los Angeles
Lakers to win the NBA championship
(15 percent) than on the Bucks
(7 percent) and took in more money on
the Lakers (22 percent vs. 18 percent for
Bucks) to win it all.
So which team is the best bet to claim
the title? Sure, the Lakers have three-
time NBA champion and four-time M VP
LeBron James, plus three-time all-NBA
team member Anthony Davis. But
Milwaukee’s résumé is hard to dismiss.
The Bucks are the third-most efficient
scoring team o n offense (113.3 points per
100 possessions) and boast the best
defensive efficiency rating in the league
(101.7). The Bucks also have the best net
rating at home (plus-12.7) and on the
road (plus-10.3), although that latter
figure might not matter as much
because they probably will end up with
home-court advantage throughout the
playoffs.
“If the Bucks were ever going to win i t,
now is the t ime,” s aid Nick Bogdanovich,
William Hill’s director of trading in the
United States. “They will likely have
home-court advantage throughout the
playoffs, have the best player in the
world and the easiest road there.”
After adjusting their overall margin
of victory for strength of schedule, the
Bucks are outscoring opponents by
about 11 points per game more than you
would expect from an average team, the
highest figure in the league. Only
10 previous NBA teams have produced
an adjusted scoring margin of 10 or
more points per game during the regular
season. Seven won NBA titles.
The Lakers, by comparison, are
outscoring opponents by 7.6 points per
game more than an average team this
season after accounting for strength of
schedule. In other words, if these twoteams met on a neutral court, the Bucks
should be favored to win by three points,
giving them a 77 p ercent chance to win a
seven-game series with home-court
advantage. According to Basketball
Reference’s playoff probabilities report,
entering the all-star break Milwaukee
had a 54 percent chance of winning the
NBA championship this season, more
than triple that of the Lakers and more
than eight times better than that of any
other team.
The Bucks, of course, have a superstar
of their own in Giannis A ntetokounmpo,
the reigning MVP. Antetokounmpo is
averaging 44.3 points, 19.9 rebounds
and 8.6 assists per 100 p ossessions while
using a league-high 38 percent of his
team’s p ossessions and producing a true
shooting percentage of 61 percent. He
also leads the NBA in personal efficiency
rating (32.2), win shares per 48 minutes
(.289) and box score plus-minus (plus-
12), an estimate of the points per
100 possessions he contributes above a
league-average player, translated to an
average team.
His average game score this season
(24.7), an all-in-one number that weighs
different aspects of a player’s box score
stats, is second only to that of James
Harden of the Houston Rockets. James’s
average game score (21.8) ranks eighth,
while Davis’s (23.1) ranks third.
Basketball Reference’s NBA MVP award
tracker also forecasts Antetokounmpo
will win his second MVP award in as
many seasons, and it isn’t close.
Antetokounmpo doesn’t have a
running mate as good as James has with
Davis, but Bucks starters Khris
Middleton and Eric Bledsoe are
averaging game scores of 16.6 and 12.8,
respectively. No Lakers other than
James and Davis are in double digits.Even when the Bucks field a lineup
without anyone from their most-used
starting five (Antetokounmpo,
Middleton, Bledsoe, Brook Lopez and
Wesley Matthews), they still outscore
opponents by 4.3 net points per
100 possessions. The Lakers are
outscored by more than four net points
per 100 possessions when their most-
used starting five is on the bench.
Los Angeles produces the second-
most points per 100 possessions in the
paint (53), but stopping such scoring is
one of Milwaukee’s specialties. The
Bucks allow a league-low 36.7 points per
100 possessions in the paint this season,
and Antetokounmpo is among the
league leaders in defensive contested
rebounds won per game (2.7). Lopez is
also effective patrolling down low,
holding opposing shooters to a
47 percent field goal rate around the
basket (not including post ups), placing
him in the 68th percentile of the l eague’s
rim protectors, per data from Synergy
Sports. In fact, no team grabs more
contested rebounds on defense than
Milwaukee, which in turn allows the
Bucks to push the ball in transition.
They s core 18 points per 100 possessions
on the fast break, the third-best rate in
the NBA.
The Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers
are also title threats, but both the
Clippers and 76ers figure to be even
bigger underdogs than the Lakers in a
series against Milwaukee. The Bucks
would be an almost six-point favorite
over the Clippers on a neutral court and
an eight-point favorite over the 76ers.
That would suggest Milwaukee should
have an 85 percent and 94 percent
chance, respectively, against those two
teams in a seven-game series with four
games played at home at Fiserv Forum.
“Our job is to take it, obviously, day by
day,” A ntetokounmpo recently said. “We
can’t lose track of our actual goal, which
is get better every day, keep learning
every day and win the whole thing.”
Barring a dramatic change, their
chances look good.
[email protected]Bucks are best bet for NBA title
Sportsbooks give the Lakers
top odds, but stats show why
Milwaukee should be favoritewashingtonpost.com/sports
tennis
Federer has surgery,
will miss four months
Roger Federer w ill miss t he
French Open a nd no fewer than
three o ther tournaments while he
is sidelined for at l east four
months after arthroscopic
surgery on his right knee.
It’s o nly t he second operation
for the 38-year-old Federer — the
other w as on his left k nee in 2016
— and one that is certain to raise
questions about his future i n
tennis.
He p osted on social media
Thursday that his knee had been
an issue “ for a little while.”
“I hoped it would go away,” h e
said.
The man who has s pent more
weeks ranked No. 1 than a ny
other a nd owns a men’s r ecord
20 Grand S lam titles said the
operation was in his home
country of Switzerland o n
Wednesday. He is ranked third
behind rivals Novak Djokovic
and Rafael Nadal....
T op-seeded Simona Halep
came from a set down for the
second day in a row to beat
Aryna Sabalenka, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2,
and reach the s emifinals at t he
Dubai C hampionships.
Halep will next face A merican
qualifier Jennifer Brady, who
upset former No. 1 Garbine
Muguruza, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 6-4....
To p-seeded Daniil Medvedev
overcame a poor start to beat
Jannik Sinner, 1-6, 6-1, 6-2, and
reach t he Open 13 quarterfinals
in Marseille, France....
Maryland native Frances
Tiafoe a dvanced to his first ATP
To ur quarterfinal of the year b y
beating fellow American Tommy
Paul, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4), at t he Delray
Beach Open in Florida....
T op-seeded Dominic Thiem
advanced to the q uarterfinals o f
the Rio Open with a 6-7 (7-5), 6 -4,
6-4 victory over Jaume Munar i n
Rio de Janeiro....
The WTA canceled April’s
Xi’an Open in China because of
the coronavirus outbreak.soccer
Mikel Arteta m arked his first
European game a s Arsenal
manager with a 1-0 victory at
Olympiakos in the first leg of
their r ound-of-32 meeting i n the
Europa League.
Manchester United was held to
a 1-1 draw a t Club Brugge, while
Inter Milan had an easier t ime at
Ludogorets in Bulgaria, with
Christian Eriksen scoring his
first goal for the club i n a 2-0 win.Another Premier League side,
Wolverhampton Wanderers,
cruised past Espanyol, 4-0,
thanks to a hat trick b y Diogo
Jota a nd a spectacular long-
range volley by Ruben Neves.
Scottish s ide Rangers rallied
from 2-0 down to beat Braga, 3-2,
at h ome. Five-time Europa
League champion Sevilla failed to
win again in a 1-1 draw a t
Romania’s Cluj, while Ajax
surprisingly l ost, 2-0, at G etafe.
Basel, Roma, Leverkusen and
Wolfsburg also won....P aris Saint-Germain President
Nasser al-Khelaifi was indicted
in Switzerland as part of a five-
year bribery a nd corruption
investigation linked to FIFA....
Former U.S. national team
goalkeeper Hope Solo i s among
14 f irst-time eligible players o n
the 42-person ballot for the U.S.
National Soccer Hall of Fame.college football
Dan Radakovich, who starred
as a linebacker at Penn State in
the 1950s before winning twoSuper Bowls as an assistant with
the Pittsburgh Steelers in the
1970s, died T hursday at 8 4....
J ay Johnson followed head
coach Mel Tucker to Michigan
State from Colorado, joining the
Spartans as offensive coordinator
and quarterbacks coach.misc.
All-WNBA guard Seimone
Augustus left the Minnesota
Lynx after 14 s easons and four
championships to join t he Los
Angeles Sparks as a free agent....Jalen Jones of the G League’s
Capital City Go-Go had 16 points
and 11 rebounds to help the
United States beat host Puerto
Rico, 83-70, in San Juan in the
opening game o f qualifying for
the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup....
Kimi Raikkonen s et t he
fastest time on the second day of
Formula One preseason testing in
Montmeló, Spain, but Mercedes
still garnered more attention by
introducing an innovative wheel
adjustment system.
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