Bucks' Bobby Portis sparks a comeback for the ages in his first game back from suspension

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Bucks' Bobby Portis sparks a comeback for the ages in his first game back from suspension

2025-04-09 13:31 Last Updated At：13:41

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bobby Portis made quite the impression in his return from a 25-game suspension.

He wants to create a similar impact all the way into the summer as the Milwaukee Bucks forward attempts to make up for all the time he missed.

“My only goal is to get to June,” Portis said after sparking the Bucks' rally from a 24-point, fourth-quarter deficit in a 110-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. "How can we get to June? We haven’t been there in so long.”

Playing for the first time since the All-Star break after a positive test for the painkiller Tramadol caused his suspension, Portis had 18 points and 10 rebounds while helping the Bucks produce one of the greatest comebacks in franchise history.

According to Sportradar, this marked only the fifth time that a team has won a game it trailed by at least 24 points in the fourth quarter since 1996-97, which is when the NBA started tracking play-by-play data.

Portis' teammates credited him for the rally.

“We got our man back," guard Kevin Porter Jr. said. “Bobby, man, he gave us life.”

Portis made a steal that led to a basket that put Milwaukee ahead for good. After pulling down a rebound that led to his game-clinching free throws in the final minute, a raucous Fiserv Forum crowd chanted “Bobby,” continuing a ritual that started during the Bucks' 2021 title run.

“My first year playing for the Bucks in the 2020-21 season, when I first started getting the chants, it was like chills, right?” Portis said. “I ain’t had the chills since that moment, but now tonight, I felt it all over again. It was a very surreal moment for me.”

It was a triumphant moment in a trying year.

Portis already had dealt with the death of his grandmother and the burglary of his home before he learned about his suspension.

The 30-year-old forward has indicated he took Tramadol unintentionally. His agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Portis believed he was taking Toradol, which is approved and is something that he has taken before.

“Sometimes things just get thrown at you fast, and you have to be able to adapt,” Portis said. “One thing about the league — 10 years in, a decade in — every year tests you in a different way. Every game, every season tests you just different.”

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said that it was human nature for Portis to feel angry about the suspension initially because “you feel like you’ve been branded a cheater when you know you didn’t cheat.” Rivers said it probably took Portis “a couple of good weeks” to get over that.

“He was doing the work, but his spirit wasn’t Bobby,” Rivers said. “And I don’t know when that turned, but it definitely turned. I thought the workouts really helped him. As crazy as it sounds, card games on the plane helped him. Maybe he was winning. Maybe the guys were letting him win, who knows? But I thought all that stuff helped him. It takes a family sometimes to get through stuff, and I thought our guys really, really embraced him.”

Portis credited his support system, his teammates and the Bucks organization for helping him through the suspension and making him continue to feel like a part of the team.

“Sometimes when you're suspended, you might not feel you're a part of it,” Portis said. “There wasn't one day I was suspended that I didn't feel like I was part of the team. I felt like I was still here. I just couldn't play.”

Now he can play again, and his return gives the Bucks hope they can make a long postseason run regardless of their seeding.

Milwaukee is fifth in the Eastern Conference standings and almost certainly will open the playoffs away from home. Seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard remains out indefinitely as he deals with blood clots in his calf that leave his playoff status uncertain.

But in his first game back, Portis showed just how much of a difference he can make.

“He's a guy who knows how to win games," two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “You can always count on him to make big plays down the stretch, to get big stops, get rebounds. And his energy just helps the team.”

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Alex Ovechkin makes more history with his first NHL playoff overtime goal

2025-04-22 11:25 Last Updated At：11:31

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin had seemingly done it all in hockey, leading the Washington Capitals to the Stanley Cup in 2018, earning the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and breaking Wayne Gretzky's record for the most goals in NHL history.

The one thing he had not done — until now — was score an overtime playoff goal.

Ovechkin obliterated that fun fact about his illustrious career by scoring 2:26 into OT Monday night against the Montreal Canadiens. It was his second goal in the playoff opener and 74th in the postseason over his two decades in the league — but the first in 45 games that went to overtime.

“Forty-five games, I know -- 45 overtime games,” center Dylan Strome said. "It's great. Not really surprised that he got that one. He’s been on a tear all year. Great pass by (Anthony Beauvillier) and great finish by ‘O.’ I think it was out of the air, so it was a great finish.”

Ovechkin downplayed it as “a goal is a goal,” but the OT winner put an exclamation point on a vintage performance by the 39-year-old winger, who also led Washington with seven hits and scored on the power play late in the first period.

“He made a couple of big plays for us tonight, was physical, set the tone," coach Spencer Carbery said. “He was leading the charge and dragging guys into the fight.”

Longtime teammate Tom Wilson was unaware history was made.

“News to me," Wilson said before quickly turning to praising Ovechkin. "It’s unbelievable. He’s obviously led us all year. He’s led us for the last 20 seasons for what he’s done for this team. He just continues to step up, man. He’s a playoff player. He does everything.”

Everything except score in OT in the postseason, which Beauvillier said is “kind of crazy when you think about it.” Beauvillier is new to the team since joining at the trade deadline, and those who have been around Ovechkin even a little bit longer have grown accustomed to him stepping up in big moments.

“Guy’s the best player in the world," goaltender Logan Thompson said. "What else can you say? He comes in clutch today, all game. He had a part in all those goals. It’s awesome to see. It’s a privilege to be his teammate.”

Ovechkin's first goal on the power play came on a shot from his trademark spot in the left faceoff circle on a shot that looked nearly identical to the one he took to score No. 895 on April 6, passing Gretzky for the record.

“Pretty similar, eh?" Strome said. "That’s what we said when we got back to the bench.”

Wilson, who fed Ovechkin the pass for each of the goals, noticed a resemblance between them.

“It looked pretty familiar,” Wilson said. “When I see him get some space, you just want to put it on his tape, and he can score from anywhere.”

And can hit from anywhere, too. Ovechkin opened the game by crushing Montreal's Mike Matheson with a big hit on his first shift 20 seconds in. He kept that up the rest of the night, earning as much respect from around the Capitals locker rooms for throwing his body around as putting the puck in the net.

“He’s a beast,” Wilson said. “He’s a machine. He’s out there creating energy for our team, scoring. ... That’s what a leader does. It’s one thing to be good all season long, but the guys that show up and hit and block shots and lead the team, that’s why he’s a legend.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl