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*Photo via NBA.com
Game 1 : Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Summary: The third seed ,Chicago Bulls, took on the sixth seed, Milwaukee Bucks and the Bulls came away with the win. This was the first game of this Eastern Conference matchup.
This was a solid start to the series for the Bulls, who led the entire second half. They were able to take advantage of their mismatches on offense, and combined that with a great team effort. They were lead by Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose, who combined for 48 points. The one flaw was their 19 turnovers, something they will want to clean up.
The Bucks on the other hand had their struggles on offense, failing to get things going in half court sets. At times, they were very active and all over the floor defensively, but that hurt them because they were always trying to recover. Against a team like the Bulls who have some great passers, that can be a problem, which it was today.
The first quarter was completely different compared to what we thought it would be. Both teams were able to score with ease, and almost matched eachothers stats. Shooting high percentages and attacking the paint. The first quarter had this game on pace for well over a 100.
In the second quarter things didn’t really slow down for the Bulls, they had another 30 point quarter, and finished the half on an 11-2 run. The run was surged by the play of Derrick Rose, who looked great in his first playoff action in years. Things slowed down a little for the Bucks, resulting in a dip in their shooting percentage and their fast break points.
The Bucks started the third quarter with an 8-2 run, to cut their nine point deficit to three. The run was jump started by Kris Middleton, but from there on it was all Bulls. Derrick Rose ignited another Bulls’ run leading to a double-digit lead. From there the Bulls never really looked back, holding the lead the rest of the game. The Bulls were able to find the open man and find opening in the paint. The Bucks settled for a lot of mid-range jump shots and struggled against the Bulls’ defense. The Bucks also had some issues rebounding and were outrebounded by 11 in this game. Jason Kidd and the Bucks will need to make some adjustments if they want to keep this series going.
Player of the Game: Derrick Rose had himself a game , putting up 23 points on nine of 16 shooting and he dished out seven assists.
Dud of the Game: Gianis Antetokounmpo was dissapointing today and had some issues when the Bulls sagged off him defensively. He had 12 points on four of 13 shooting and struggled to hit his jumpers.
Stat of the Game: The Bucks only finished with 15 fast break points, after finishing the first quarter with nine. So Bulls recovered defensively, forcing the Bucks into a halfcourt offense, where they struggled.
Breakdown: If anything this game has made me feel even more confident about the Bulls winning this series. The Bucks look outmatched and will need to make some major adjustments to deal with the Bulls. Especially if Derrick Rose is playing this way, considering they already have to deal with Noah and Gasol inside. The Bucks will also need to find a way to get things going on offense.
Chicago Bulls vs Milwaukee Bucks Game 2 : April 20th, at 8pm on TNT
*All stats via NBA.com