We officially have a streak since the Chicago Bulls defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 114-110. The series is now tied one game apiece.
NBA.com Boxing Score
Just outside the gates, the Bulls took advantage of the Bucks’ mistakes. Milwaukee spat out the basketball multiple times in under two minutes, giving Chicago an early 9-0 lead. However, the Bucks raced back, even grabbing a lead of their own at one point. Early in the second game, the Bulls held onto a small 29-28 lead.
Things really got out of hand for the Bucks in the second quarter. They would continue to make errors on the offensive end, which Chicago took advantage of. At halftime the Bulls went into the dressing room and led 63-49.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton showed up in the third quarter, which in turn caused the Bucks to show up. Milwaukee was able to reduce Chicago’s lead to just three points at once. However, Chicago ended the period on an easy run, giving them an 87-80 lead going into the final quarter of regulation.
It was a valiant comeback effort from Milwaukee, but ultimately they couldn’t get past the hump. With a three lead, the Bulls hauled in two offensive rebounds that led to a layup by DeMar DeRozan that put them up five. That essentially proved to be a dagger as Chicago clinched a 114-110 win and leveled the series at one game apiece.
Statistics that stood out
I have to go with turnovers. Once again, this was an important issue for Milwaukee. They would pass the ball 14 times in the game. It created the hole early on, and it turned out to be a hole too deep for them to dig. If the Bucks want to advance to the second round, they need to shore things up in that department.